react-router-data-mode

name	react-router-data-mode
description	Build React applications using React Router's data mode with createBrowserRouter and RouterProvider. Use when working with route objects, loaders, actions, Form, useFetcher, or pending/optimistic UI without the Vite plugin.
license	MIT

React Router Data Mode

Data mode uses createBrowserRouter and RouterProvider to enable data loading, actions, and pending UI without the framework's Vite plugin. This is ideal for existing React applications that want to add data loading and mutation capabilities.

When to Apply

• Using createBrowserRouter with route objects
• Loading data with loader property on routes
• Handling mutations with action property
• Navigating with <Link>, <NavLink>, <Form>, redirect, and useNavigate
• Implementing pending/loading UI states with useNavigation
• Using useFetcher for mutations without navigation

References

Load the relevant reference for detailed guidance on the specific API/concept:

Reference	Use When
references/routing.md	Configuring routes, nested routes, layout
references/route-object.md	Understanding route object properties
references/data-loading.md	Loading data with loaders
references/actions.md	Handling forms, mutations, validation
references/navigation.md	Links, programmatic navigation, redirects
references/pending-ui.md	Loading states, optimistic UI
references/ssr.md	Server-side rendering with data mode

Critical Patterns

These are the most important patterns to follow. Load the relevant reference for full details.

Basic Router Setup

import { createBrowserRouter, RouterProvider } from "react-router";

const router = createBrowserRouter([
  {
    path: "/",
    Component: Root,
    children: [
      { index: true, Component: Home },
      { path: "about", Component: About },
    ],
  },
]);

ReactDOM.createRoot(root).render(<RouterProvider router={router} />);

Forms & Mutations

Search forms - use <Form method="get">, NOT onSubmit with setSearchParams:

// ✅ Correct
<Form method="get">
  <input name="q" />
</Form>

// ❌ Wrong - don't manually handle search params
<form onSubmit={(e) => { e.preventDefault(); setSearchParams(...) }}>

Inline mutations - use useFetcher, NOT <Form> (which causes page navigation):

const fetcher = useFetcher();
const optimistic = fetcher.formData?.get("favorite") === "true" ?? isFavorite;

<fetcher.Form method="post" action={`/favorites/${id}`}>
  <button>{optimistic ? "★" : "☆"}</button>
</fetcher.Form>;

See references/actions.md for complete patterns.

Optimistic UI Pattern

Use fetcher.formData to show expected results immediately:

function FavoriteButton({ itemId, isFavorite }) {
  const fetcher = useFetcher();

  // Optimistic: use pending form data, fallback to server state
  const optimistic = fetcher.formData ? fetcher.formData.get("favorite") === "true" : isFavorite;

  return (
    <fetcher.Form method="post" action={`/items/${itemId}/favorite`}>
      <input type="hidden" name="favorite" value={String(!optimistic)} />
      <button>{optimistic ? "★" : "☆"}</button>
    </fetcher.Form>
  );
}

See references/pending-ui.md for complete patterns.

Further Documentation

If anything related to React Router is not covered in these references, you can search the official documentation:

https://reactrouter.com/docs