How To Handle Routing in React Apps with React Router

React Router is a popular library used for routing in React applications. It is a collection of navigational components that are used to create routing in React apps. Routing is the process of managing different URLs in an application and displaying the corresponding component to the user based on the URL. With React Router, you can define the different routes in your application and associate them with a component.

In this article, we’ll explore how to handle routing in React apps using React Router. Before we dive into the details, let’s first understand what routing is and why it is important in web applications.

Why Routing is Important

In web applications, routing is the process of mapping a URL to a component. This means that when a user navigates to a specific URL, the corresponding component is displayed to the user. Routing is important for a number of reasons:

Navigation: Routing helps users navigate through different pages of a web application. With routing, users can easily access different pages of an application by clicking on links.

URL Management: Routing allows developers to manage URLs in a web application. They can define different routes and associate them with components, making it easier to manage the URLs in a web application.

Bookmarking: With routing, users can bookmark specific pages in a web application. This means that they can easily access a specific page by using the bookmark, even if they are not currently on the site.

Search Engine Optimization: Routing is also important for search engine optimization (SEO). By using routing, developers can ensure that their web application is easily crawlable by search engines, making it easier for users to find their site through search results.

Now that we have a basic understanding of why routing is important, let’s explore how to handle routing in React apps with React Router.

Getting Started with React Router

To get started with React Router, you first need to install the library. You can install React Router by running the following command in your terminal:

npm install react-router-dom

Once you have installed React Router, you can start using it in your React application.

Defining Routes in React Router

React Router provides a number of components that you can use to define routes in your application. The most important component is the Route component, which is used to define a single route in your application. The Route component takes two main props:

path: This prop is used to define the URL that corresponds to this route.

component: This prop is used to define the component that should be displayed when the user navigates to this route.

Here’s an example of how you can define a simple route in React Router:

import React from 'react';
import { Route } from 'react-router-dom';
import Home from './Home';

function App() {
  return (
    <div>
    <Route path="/" component={Home} />
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

In this example, we are defining a single route in our application. The path prop is set to “/”, which means that this route corresponds to the root URL of our application. The component prop is set to the Home component, which means that the Home component will be displayed when the user navigates to the root URL of our application.

Using the Router Component

In addition to the Route component, React Router also provides the Router component, which is used to define the overall routing structure in your application.

You can also read basics of React Router

Introduction to React Router: Understanding What, Why, and How.

I hope this will help you understand React Routers