What is routing in ReactJs?

While I was at my initial stage of learning React I came across a word very often- "Routing". Now, what exactly is routing in ReactJs?

Routing in React is the process of mapping URLs to specific components within your application, allowing you to create multi-page applications with a single-page feel.

In React, routing is typically handled by a third-party library such as React Router. React Router provides a set of components that make it easy to add routing to your application. Some of the key components provided by React Router include:

  • Route: A component that defines a mapping between a specific URL path and a component to render when that path is accessed.

  • Link: A component that allows you to navigate between different routes in your application without reloading the entire page.

  • Switch: A component that ensures that only one route is rendered at a time.

  • BrowserRouter: A component that allows you to use the HTML5 history API to manage your routes in the browser.

By using these components, you can create dynamic and interactive applications that can respond to changes in the URL and render the appropriate content.

React contains three different packages for routing. These are:

  1. react-router: It provides the core routing components and functions for the React Router applications.

  2. react-router-native: It is used for mobile applications.

  3. react-router-dom: It is used for web application design.

It is not possible to install react-router directly in your application. To use react routing, first, you need to install react-router-dom modules in your application. The below command is used to install react-router-dom.

$ npm install react-router-dom --save .

Hope I helped you in clearing your doubts.