React Router

React Router is a routing library for React that has evolved into a fullstack web framework. Originally created in 2014 by Ryan Florence and Michael Jackson as a client-side routing solution, it became the de facto standard for navigation in React applications. With version 7, released in late 2024, React Router merged with Remix, bringing server-side rendering, data loading, and form handling directly into the library.

React Router 7 provides file-based routing that maps the file system to URL routes, reducing boilerplate. Loaders and actions allow developers to define data fetching and mutations alongside route components, ensuring data is available before a page renders. The framework supports server-side rendering out of the box with nested routes that compose complex layouts from independent segments, each with their own data dependencies. Type-safe data loading catches errors at compile time rather than runtime.

The merger of Remix into React Router consolidated two overlapping projects into one. Remix had introduced patterns like loaders, actions, and progressive enhancement on top of React Router's routing primitives. Rather than maintaining two separate projects, the team folded Remix's server-side capabilities directly into React Router 7, giving existing users a clear upgrade path to fullstack features. The project is backed by Shopify, which acquired the Remix team in 2022.

The official documentation covers framework mode, library mode, routing, data loading, and deployment. The source code is maintained on GitHub. React Router remains one of the most widely used libraries in the React ecosystem, and its transition from a routing library to a fullstack framework reflects the broader trend toward integrated, server-aware application architectures.