Generouted

Generated file-based routes for Vite

Motivation

I enjoyed using file-based routing since I tried Next.js (pages directory). After applying the same concept with Vite and client-side applications, I started writing blog posts covering the implementation of client-side file-based routing with React Router which was packaged later as generouted.

Today generouted brings many features, supports multiple frameworks and routers, and inspires ideas and conventions from Next.js, Remix, Expo, Docusaurus, SvelteKit and more.

How does it work?

generouted uses Vite's glob import API to list the routes within the src/pages directory and generates the routes tree and modals based on generouted's conventions.

There are also Vite plugins available for some integrations to provide type-safe components/hooks/utils through code-generation.

Features

📁 Client-side file-based routing
⚡ Powered by Vite
✨ React support with react-router-dom or @tanstack/router 🧪 or @tanstack/react-location 🚨
✨ Solid support with @solidjs/router
🔐 Type-safe navigation
🚀 Type-safe global modals
💤 Route-based code-splitting and lazy-loading
📄 Route-based data loaders and actions
💣 Route-based error boundary
📂 Nested layouts
🫙 Pathless layout groups
❓ Optional static and dynamic routes
💭 Ignored routes per file or directory

Online explorer

⚡ Visit generouted's interactive playground via StackBlitz
🧩 Explore file-based routing patterns and conventions
🔎 Visualize the routes layouts and the resolved routes paths
📝 Update src/pages/ files and see your changes reflecting

Getting started

React Router

React Router

In case you don't have a Vite project with React and TypeScript, check Vite documentation to start a new project.

Installation

pnpm add @generouted/react-router react-router-dom

Setup

// vite.config.ts

import { defineConfig } from 'vite'
import react from '@vitejs/plugin-react'
import generouted from '@generouted/react-router/plugin'

export default defineConfig({ plugins: [react(), generouted()] })

Usage

// src/main.tsx

import { createRoot } from 'react-dom/client'
import { Routes } from '@generouted/react-router'

createRoot(document.getElementById('root')!).render(<Routes />)

Adding pages

Add the home page by creating a new file src/pages/index.tsx → /, then export a default component:

export default function Home() {
  return <h1>Home</h1>
}

Check the routing conventions section below.

Docs

You can find more details about type-safe navigation and global modals at @generouted/react-router docs.

Examples

Solid Router

Solid Router

In case you don't have a Vite project with Solid and TypeScript, check Vite documentation to start a new project.

Installation

pnpm add @generouted/solid-router @solidjs/router

Setup

// vite.config.ts

import { defineConfig } from 'vite'
import solid from 'vite-plugin-solid'
import generouted from '@generouted/solid-router/plugin'

export default defineConfig({ plugins: [solid(), generouted()] })

Usage

// src/main.tsx

import { render } from 'solid-js/web'
import { Routes } from '@generouted/solid-router'

render(Routes, document.getElementById('root')!)

Adding pages

Add the home page by creating a new file src/pages/index.tsx → /, then export a default component:

export default function Home() {
  return <h1>Home</h1>
}

See more about generouted routing conventions below.

Docs

You can find more details about type-safe navigation and global modals at @generouted/solid-router docs.

Examples

Type-safe navigation + global modals

TanStack React Router — In-progress experimental support 🧪

TanStack React Router — In-progress experimental support 🧪

Check out the docs here

Examples

Basic

React Location — Deprecated 🚨

React Location — Deprecated 🚨

In case you don't have a Vite project with React and TypeScript, check Vite documentation to start a new project.

Installation

pnpm add generouted @tanstack/react-location

Usage

// src/main.tsx

import { createRoot } from 'react-dom/client'
import { Routes } from 'generouted/react-location'

createRoot(document.getElementById('root')!).render(<Routes />)

Adding pages

Add the home page by creating a new file src/pages/index.tsx → /, then export a default component:

export default function Home() {
  return <h1>Home</h1>
}

Examples

Conventions

File and directories naming and conventions

Routes declaration at src/pages
Supports .tsx or .jsx extensions
Optional src/pages/_app.tsx for an app level layout
Optional src/pages/404.tsx for a custom not-found page

Index routes

src/pages/index.tsx → /
src/pages/posts/index.tsx → /posts

Nested routes

src/pages/posts/2022/index.tsx → /posts/2022
src/pages/posts/2022/resolutions.tsx → /posts/2022/resolutions

Dynamic routes

src/pages/posts/[slug].tsx → /posts/:slug
src/pages/posts/[slug]/tags.tsx → /posts/:slug/tags
src/pages/posts/[...all].tsx → /posts/*

Nested layouts

By defining _layout.tsx in any nested directory → src/pages/posts/_layout.tsx
Requires using an <Outlet /> component to render layout children
All the files within the src/pages/posts/ directory in this case, will be wrapped with that layout

Nested URLs without nested layouts

Route file should be outside of the nested layout directory
Include dots . between the segments to be converted to forward slashes
src/pages/posts.nested.as.url.not.layout.tsx → /posts/nested/as/url/not/layout

Pathless layouts

Similar to nested layouts for layout definition
By wrapping the parent directory with parentheses ()
src/pages/(auth)/_layout.tsx
src/pages/(auth)/login.tsx → /login
Layout parent directory name is not included in the routes paths

Global modals

By prefixing the file name with a plus sign + (thinking the modal is an extra route overlaying the current route)
Modals navigation available via the useModals() hook
src/pages/+info.tsx → /info
src/pages/+checkout/+details.tsx → /checkout/details
src/pages/+checkout/+payment.tsx → /checkout/payment

Optional segments

By prefixing a route segment with a minus sign - (thinking the segment can be subtracted or removed from the route path)
src/pages/-en/about.tsx → /en?/about → /en/about, /about
src/pages/-[lang]/about.tsx → /:lang?/about → /en/about, /fr/about, /about

Ignored routes

Any directory or file starts with an underscore _ will be ignored
src/pages/_ignored.tsx
src/pages/posts/_components/button.tsx
src/pages/posts/_components/link.tsx

Page exports

Required page component export default Component() {...}
Optional page loader function export const Loader = () => {...}
Optional page action function export const Action = () => {...}
Optional error boundary component export const Catch = () => {...}

Example

Directory structure

src/pages
├── (auth)
│   ├── _layout.tsx
│   ├── login.tsx
│   └── register.tsx
├── blog
│   ├── _components
│   │   ├── button.tsx
│   │   └── comments.tsx
│   ├── [...all].tsx
│   ├── [slug].tsx
│   ├── _layout.tsx
│   ├── index.tsx
│   └── tags.tsx
├── docs
│   ├── -[lang]
│   │   ├── index.tsx
│   │   └── resources.tsx
│   └── -en
│       └── contributors.tsx
├── +info.tsx
├── 404.tsx
├── _app.tsx
├── _ignored.tsx
├── about.tsx
├── blog.w.o.layout.tsx
└── index.tsx

Overview

File	Path	Convention
`(auth)/_layout.tsx`		Pathless Layout group
`(auth)/login.tsx`	`/login`	Regular route
`(auth)/register.tsx`	`/register`	Regular route
`blog/_components/button.tsx`		Ignored route by an ignored directory
`blog/_components/comments.tsx`		Ignored route by an ignored directory
`blog/[...all].tsx`	`/blog/*`	Dynamic catch-all route
`blog/[slug].tsx`	`/blog/:slug`	Dynamic route
`blog/_layout.tsx`		Layout for `/blog` routes
`blog/index.tsx`	`/blog`	Index route
`blog/tags.tsx`	`/blog/tags`	Regular route
`docs/-[lang]/index.tsx`	`/docs/:lang?/index`	Optional dynamic route segment
`docs/-[lang]/resources.tsx`	`/docs/:lang?/resources`	Optional dynamic route segment
`docs/-en/contributors.tsx`	`/docs/en?/contributors`	Optional static route segment
`+info.tsx`	`/info`	Modal route
`404.tsx`	`*`	Custom `404` (optional)
`_app.tsx`		Custom `app` layout (optional)
`_ignored.tsx`		Ignored route
`about.tsx`	`/about`	Regular route
`blog.w.o.layout.tsx`	`/blog/w/o/layout`	Route without `/blog` layout
`index.tsx`	`/`	Index route

API

Routing

Via @generouted/react-router or @generouted/solid-router

<Routes /> — file-based routing component to be render in the app entry
<Modals /> — optional file-based modals component to be render in the _app.tsx layout
routes — file-based routes tree/object used by default at <Routes /> component

Routing + code-splitting and lazy-loading

Via @generouted/react-router/lazy or @generouted/solid-router/lazy

Used instead of @generouted/react-router or @generouted/solid-router to enable lazy-loading
Make sure to replace all imports to lazy imports — namely at app entry and src/pages/_app.tsx
Provides the same <Routes />, <Modals /> and routes exports

Plugins

Via @generouted/react-router/plugin or @generouted/solid-router/plugin

Vite plugin for type generation and initializing type-safe components/hooks/utils
Generates src/router.ts file
Exports type-safe <Link>, <Navigate>, useModals(), useNavigate(), useParams(), redirect(), etc.
Check out @generouted/react-router docs or @generouted/solid-router docs for more details

Core

Via @generouted/react-router/core or @generouted/solid-router/core

Available for customization, however it's recommended to use the available integrations directory via the <Routes/> component
Check out the custom integration example

License

MIT

ka2n/generouted

Generouted

Features

Online explorer

Getting started

React Router

Installation

Setup

Usage

Adding pages

Docs

Examples

Solid Router

Installation

Setup

Usage

Adding pages

Docs

Examples

TanStack React Router — In-progress experimental support 🧪

Examples

React Location — Deprecated 🚨

Installation

Usage

Adding pages

Examples

Conventions

File and directories naming and conventions

Index routes

Nested routes

Dynamic routes

Nested layouts

Nested URLs without nested layouts

Pathless layouts

Global modals

Optional segments

Ignored routes

Page exports

Example

API

Routing

Routing + code-splitting and lazy-loading

Plugins

Core

License