router-default-options: Configure Router Default Options

Priority: HIGH

Explanation

TanStack Router's createRouter accepts several default options that apply globally. Configure these for consistent behavior across your application including error handling, scroll restoration, and performance optimizations.

Bad Example

// Minimal router - missing useful defaults
const router = createRouter({
  routeTree,
  context: { queryClient },
})

// Each route must handle its own errors
// No scroll restoration on navigation
// No preloading configured

Good Example: Full Configuration

import { QueryClient } from '@tanstack/react-query'
import { createRouter } from '@tanstack/react-router'
import { setupRouterSsrQueryIntegration } from '@tanstack/react-router-ssr-query'
import { routeTree } from './routeTree.gen'
import { DefaultCatchBoundary } from '@/components/DefaultCatchBoundary'
import { DefaultNotFound } from '@/components/DefaultNotFound'

export function getRouter() {
  const queryClient = new QueryClient({
    defaultOptions: {
      queries: {
        refetchOnWindowFocus: false,
        staleTime: 1000 * 60 * 2,
      },
    },
  })

  const router = createRouter({
    routeTree,
    context: { queryClient, user: null },

    // Preloading
    defaultPreload: 'intent',         // Preload on hover/focus
    defaultPreloadStaleTime: 0,       // Let Query manage freshness

    // Error handling
    defaultErrorComponent: DefaultCatchBoundary,
    defaultNotFoundComponent: DefaultNotFound,

    // UX
    scrollRestoration: true,          // Restore scroll on back/forward

    // Performance
    defaultStructuralSharing: true,   // Optimize re-renders
  })

  setupRouterSsrQueryIntegration({
    router,
    queryClient,
  })

  return router
}

Good Example: DefaultCatchBoundary Component

// components/DefaultCatchBoundary.tsx
import { ErrorComponent, useRouter } from '@tanstack/react-router'

export function DefaultCatchBoundary({ error }: { error: Error }) {
  const router = useRouter()

  return (
    <div className="error-container">
      <h1>Something went wrong</h1>
      <ErrorComponent error={error} />
      <button onClick={() => router.invalidate()}>
        Try again
      </button>
    </div>
  )
}

Good Example: DefaultNotFound Component

// components/DefaultNotFound.tsx
import { Link } from '@tanstack/react-router'

export function DefaultNotFound() {
  return (
    <div className="not-found-container">
      <h1>404 - Page Not Found</h1>
      <p>The page you're looking for doesn't exist.</p>
      <Link to="/">Go home</Link>
    </div>
  )
}

Router Options Reference

Option	Type	Default	Description
`defaultPreload`	`false \| 'intent' \| 'render' \| 'viewport'`	`false`	When to preload routes
`defaultPreloadStaleTime`	`number`	`30000`	How long preloaded data stays fresh (ms)
`defaultErrorComponent`	`Component`	Built-in	Global error boundary
`defaultNotFoundComponent`	`Component`	Built-in	Global 404 page
`scrollRestoration`	`boolean`	`false`	Restore scroll on navigation
`defaultStructuralSharing`	`boolean`	`true`	Optimize loader data re-renders

Good Example: Route-Level Overrides

// Routes can override defaults
export const Route = createFileRoute('/admin')({
  // Custom error handling for admin section
  errorComponent: AdminErrorBoundary,
  notFoundComponent: AdminNotFound,

  // Disable preload for sensitive routes
  preload: false,
})

Good Example: With Pending Component

const router = createRouter({
  routeTree,
  context: { queryClient },

  defaultPreload: 'intent',
  defaultPreloadStaleTime: 0,
  defaultErrorComponent: DefaultCatchBoundary,
  defaultNotFoundComponent: DefaultNotFound,
  scrollRestoration: true,

  // Show during route transitions
  defaultPendingComponent: () => (
    <div className="loading-bar" />
  ),
  defaultPendingMinMs: 200,  // Min time to show pending UI
  defaultPendingMs: 1000,    // Delay before showing pending UI
})

Context

Set defaultPreloadStaleTime: 0 when using TanStack Query
scrollRestoration: true improves back/forward navigation UX
defaultStructuralSharing prevents unnecessary re-renders
Route-level options override router defaults
Error/NotFound components receive route context
Pending components help with perceived performance

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