whatisgithub

What is router?

reach/router — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-06-24

★ 6,841JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

In one sentence

A routing library for React applications that maps URL paths to the right component to display, handling navigation so different pages show when the browser address bar changes.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Reach Router))
    Core Features
      URL to component mapping
      Nested routes
      Programmatic redirect
    Integration
      React apps
      npm install
    Usage
      Path matching
      Dynamic params
    Audience
      React developers
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Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Add URL-based navigation to a React app so each URL path renders a different page component

USE CASE 2

Build a nested page layout where a sidebar stays visible while only the main content area changes with the route

USE CASE 3

Redirect users to a dashboard page automatically after a successful login form submission

What is it built with?

JavaScriptReact

How does it compare?

reach/routeroctref/polacodetechfort/lokijs
Stars6,8416,8436,838
LanguageJavaScriptJavaScriptJavaScript
Setup difficultyeasyeasyeasy
Complexity2/52/52/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 30min
Use freely in any project including commercial products.

So what is it?

Reach Router is a routing library for React applications. Routing, in a web app context, means deciding which page or component to show based on the URL in the browser's address bar. This library handles that work for React, which is a popular JavaScript tool for building user interfaces. The project was created by Ryan Florence and published under the MIT license in 2018. The README is minimal and points readers to a separate documentation website for full usage details. No feature descriptions or code examples are included in the repository's README itself. The library was available as an npm package under the name @reach/router. It was positioned as a newer approach to React routing at the time of its release, though the README does not explain what specifically makes it different from other options. A community chat channel was hosted on Spectrum, which was a platform later acquired by Discord. Given the sparse README, readers interested in what this library actually does would need to visit the linked documentation site.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Set up @reach/router in a React app so that /home, /about, and /users/:id each render a different component.
Prompt 2
Show me how to do programmatic navigation with @reach/router, redirect to /dashboard after a login form submits successfully.
Prompt 3
How do I nest routes in @reach/router so a sidebar stays visible while only the main content area changes with the URL?
Prompt 4
Help me migrate a React app from React Router v4 to @reach/router, show the key API differences with before and after code examples.

Frequently asked questions

What is router?

A routing library for React applications that maps URL paths to the right component to display, handling navigation so different pages show when the browser address bar changes.

What language is router written in?

Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes JavaScript, React.

What license does router use?

Use freely in any project including commercial products.

How hard is router to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is router for?

Mainly developer.

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