Path Params
Path params capture dynamic URL segments into named variables. They are defined with a $ prefix in the route path.
CRITICAL: Never interpolate params into thetostring. Always use theparamsprop. This is the most common agent mistake for path params.
CRITICAL: Types are fully inferred. Never annotate the return of useParams().Dynamic Segments
A segment prefixed with $ captures text until the next /.
// src/routes/posts.$postId.tsx
import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router'
export const Route = createFileRoute('/posts/$postId')({
loader: async ({ params }) => {
// params.postId is string — fully inferred, do not annotate
return fetchPost(params.postId)
},
component: PostComponent,
})
function PostComponent() {
const { postId } = Route.useParams()
const data = Route.useLoaderData()
return (
<h1>
Post {postId}: {data.title}
</h1>
)
}Multiple dynamic segments work across path levels:
// src/routes/teams.$teamId.members.$memberId.tsx
export const Route = createFileRoute('/teams/$teamId/members/$memberId')({
component: MemberComponent,
})
function MemberComponent() {
const { teamId, memberId } = Route.useParams()
return (
<div>
Team {teamId}, Member {memberId}
</div>
)
}Splat / Catch-All Routes
A route with a path ending in $ (bare dollar sign) captures everything after it. The value is available under the _splat key.
// src/routes/files.$.tsx
import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router'
export const Route = createFileRoute('/files/$')({
component: FileViewer,
})
function FileViewer() {
const { _splat } = Route.useParams()
// URL: /files/documents/report.pdf → _splat = "documents/report.pdf"
return <div>File path: {_splat}</div>
}Optional Params
Optional params use {-$paramName} syntax. The segment may or may not be present. When absent, the value is undefined.
// src/routes/posts.{-$category}.tsx
import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router'
export const Route = createFileRoute('/posts/{-$category}')({
component: PostsComponent,
})
function PostsComponent() {
const { category } = Route.useParams()
// URL: /posts → category is undefined
// URL: /posts/tech → category is "tech"
return <div>{category ? `Posts in ${category}` : 'All Posts'}</div>
}Multiple optional params:
// Matches: /posts, /posts/tech, /posts/tech/hello-world
export const Route = createFileRoute('/posts/{-$category}/{-$slug}')({
component: PostComponent,
})i18n with Optional Locale
// src/routes/{-$locale}/about.tsx
import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router'
export const Route = createFileRoute('/{-$locale}/about')({
component: AboutComponent,
})
function AboutComponent() {
const { locale } = Route.useParams()
const currentLocale = locale || 'en'
return <h1>{currentLocale === 'fr' ? 'À Propos' : 'About Us'}</h1>
}
// Matches: /about, /en/about, /fr/aboutPrefix and Suffix Patterns
Curly braces {} around $paramName allow text before or after the dynamic part within a single segment.
Prefix
// src/routes/posts/post-{$postId}.tsx
import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router'
export const Route = createFileRoute('/posts/post-{$postId}')({
component: PostComponent,
})
function PostComponent() {
const { postId } = Route.useParams()
// URL: /posts/post-123 → postId = "123"
return <div>Post ID: {postId}</div>
}Suffix
// src/routes/files/{$fileName}[.]txt.tsx
import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router'
export const Route = createFileRoute('/files/{$fileName}.txt')({
component: FileComponent,
})
function FileComponent() {
const { fileName } = Route.useParams()
// URL: /files/readme.txt → fileName = "readme"
return <div>File: {fileName}.txt</div>
}Combined Prefix + Suffix
// URL: /users/user-456.json → userId = "456"
export const Route = createFileRoute('/users/user-{$userId}.json')({
component: UserComponent,
})
function UserComponent() {
const { userId } = Route.useParams()
return <div>User: {userId}</div>
}Navigating with Path Params
Object Form
import { Link } from '@tanstack/react-router'
function PostLink({ postId }: { postId: string }) {
return (
<Link to="/posts/$postId" params={{ postId }}>
View Post
</Link>
)
}Function Form (Preserves Other Params)
function PostLink({ postId }: { postId: string }) {
return (
<Link to="/posts/$postId" params={(prev) => ({ ...prev, postId })}>
View Post
</Link>
)
}Programmatic Navigation
import { useNavigate } from '@tanstack/react-router'
function GoToPost({ postId }: { postId: string }) {
const navigate = useNavigate()
return (
<button
onClick={() => {
navigate({ to: '/posts/$postId', params: { postId } })
}}
>
Go to Post
</button>
)
}Navigating with Optional Params
// Include the optional param
<Link to="/posts/{-$category}" params={{ category: 'tech' }}>
Tech Posts
</Link>
// Omit the optional param (renders /posts)
<Link to="/posts/{-$category}" params={{ category: undefined }}>
All Posts
</Link>Reading Params Outside Route Components
useParams with from
import { useParams } from '@tanstack/react-router'
function PostHeader() {
const { postId } = useParams({ from: '/posts/$postId' })
return <h2>Post {postId}</h2>
}useParams with strict: false
function GenericBreadcrumb() {
const params = useParams({ strict: false })
// params is a union of all possible route params
return <span>{params.postId ?? 'Home'}</span>
}Params in Loaders and beforeLoad
export const Route = createFileRoute('/posts/$postId')({
beforeLoad: async ({ params }) => {
// params.postId available here
const canView = await checkPermission(params.postId)
if (!canView) throw redirect({ to: '/unauthorized' })
},
loader: async ({ params }) => {
return fetchPost(params.postId)
},
})Allowed Characters
By default, params are encoded with encodeURIComponent. Allow extra characters via router config:
import { createRouter } from '@tanstack/react-router'
const router = createRouter({
routeTree,
pathParamsAllowedCharacters: ['@', '+'],
})Allowed characters: ;, :, @, &, =, +, $, ,.
Common Mistakes
1. CRITICAL (cross-skill): Interpolating path params into to string
// WRONG — breaks type safety and param encoding
<Link to={`/posts/${postId}`}>Post</Link>
// CORRECT — use params prop
<Link to="/posts/$postId" params={{ postId }}>Post</Link>2. MEDIUM: Using * for splat routes instead of $
TanStack Router uses $ for splat routes. The captured value is under _splat, not *.
// WRONG (React Router / other frameworks)
// <Route path="/files/*" />
// CORRECT (TanStack Router)
// File: src/routes/files.$.tsx
export const Route = createFileRoute('/files/$')({
component: () => {
const { _splat } = Route.useParams()
return <div>{_splat}</div>
},
})Note:*works in v1 for backwards compatibility but will be removed in v2. Always use_splat.
3. MEDIUM: Using curly braces for basic dynamic segments
Curly braces are ONLY for prefix/suffix patterns and optional params. Basic dynamic segments use bare $.
// WRONG — braces not needed for basic params
createFileRoute('/posts/{$postId}')
// CORRECT — bare $ for basic dynamic segments
createFileRoute('/posts/$postId')
// CORRECT — braces for prefix pattern
createFileRoute('/posts/post-{$postId}')
// CORRECT — braces for optional param
createFileRoute('/posts/{-$category}')4. Params are always strings
Path params are always parsed as strings. If you need a number, parse in the loader or component:
export const Route = createFileRoute('/posts/$postId')({
loader: async ({ params }) => {
const id = parseInt(params.postId, 10)
if (isNaN(id)) throw notFound()
return fetchPost(id)
},
})You can also use params.parse and params.stringify on the route for bidirectional transformation:
export const Route = createFileRoute('/posts/$postId')({
params: {
parse: (raw) => ({ postId: parseInt(raw.postId, 10) }),
stringify: (parsed) => ({ postId: String(parsed.postId) }),
},
loader: async ({ params }) => {
// params.postId is now number
return fetchPost(params.postId)
},
})