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Top 20 React Router Interview Questions and Answers

React Router is a cornerstone of modern front-end development, especially for building seamless single-page applications with React. Whether you’re preparing for a front-end interview or brushing up on routing fundamentals, mastering React Router is essential.

In this guide, you’ll find 20 carefully curated React Router interview questions and answers, covering everything from basic navigation to advanced route protection and lazy loading. Each question is designed to test real-world understanding and help you articulate your knowledge with confidence.

Q1. What is React Router, and why is it used?

Ans. React Router is a standard library for routing in React. It enables navigation between views of various components, allowing single-page applications (SPAs) to simulate multi-page behavior without full page reloads.

Q2. What are the main components of React Router v6?

Ans. Below are the main components of React Router v6:

  • <BrowserRouter> or <HashRouter>: Top-level router component
  • <Routes>: Container for route definitions
  • <Route>: Defines a path and its corresponding component
  • <Link>: Navigation without page reload
  • <Navigate>: Programmatic redirection
  • useNavigate, useParams, useLocation, useMatch: Hooks for routing logic.

Q3. What is the difference between <BrowserRouter> and <HashRouter>?

Ans. 

  • <BrowserRouter> uses the HTML5 history API and clean URLs
  • <HashRouter> uses hash-based URLs (/#/path) and is useful when server configuration doesn’t support client-side routing.

Q4. How does React Router differ from traditional routing?

Ans. Traditional routing reloads the entire page on navigation. React Router intercepts navigation events and updates the UI without reloading, preserving state and performance.

Q5. What is the purpose of the <Routes> component in React Router v6?

Ans. <Routes> replaces <Switch> from v5. It ensures only one matching <Route> is rendered and supports nested routes more intuitively.

Q6. How do you programmatically navigate in React Router v6?

Ans. Use the useNavigate() hook:

const navigate = useNavigate();
navigate('/dashboard');

Q7. What does the useParams() hook do?

Ans. It returns an object of key-value pairs from the URL parameters:

const { id } = useParams(); // for route /user/:id

Q8. How can you access query parameters in React Router?

Ans. Use useLocation() and parse the search string:

const { search } = useLocation();
const query = new URLSearchParams(search);
const token = query.get('token');

Q9. What is the difference between <Link> & <NavLink>?

Ans. 

  • <Link>: Basic navigation
  • <NavLink>: Adds styling based on active route (e.g., isActive class)

Q10. How do you redirect a user after a form submission?

Ans. Use useNavigate() inside the submit handler:

const navigate = useNavigate();
const handleSubmit = () => {
  // form logic
  navigate('/success');
};

Q11. How do nested routes work in React Router v6?

Ans. Define child routes inside a parent <Route> and use <Outlet /> in the parent component to render children:

<Routes>
  <Route path="dashboard" element={<Dashboard />}>
    <Route path="stats" element={<Stats />} />
  </Route>
</Routes>

Q12. What is <Outlet /> used for?

Ans. It acts as a placeholder for rendering child routes inside a parent component.

Q13. How do you handle 404 pages in React Router?

Ans. Add a catch-all route:

<Route path="*" element={<NotFound />} />

Q14. How can you protect routes (authentication)?

Ans. Use a wrapper component that checks auth state:

const PrivateRoute = ({ children }) => {
  return isAuthenticated ? children : <Navigate to="/login" />;
};

Q15. How do you lazy-load route components?

Ans. Use React.lazy() and Suspense:

const Home = React.lazy(() => import('./Home'));
<Suspense fallback={<Loading />}>
  <Route path="/" element={<Home />} />
</Suspense>

Q16. Can you use React Router with server-side rendering (SSR)?

Ans. Yes, with frameworks like Next.js or Remix, or by using <StaticRouter> in custom SSR setups.

Q17. What is the difference between useMatch() and useParams()?

Ans.

  • useParams() extracts dynamic segments from the URL
  • useMatch() checks if the current URL matches a specific path pattern

Q18. How do you scroll to the top on route change?

Ans. Use useEffect with useLocation():

const { pathname } = useLocation();
useEffect(() => {
  window.scrollTo(0, 0);
}, [pathname]);

Q19. How do you pass state between routes?

Ans. Use navigate(path, { state }) and access it via useLocation():

navigate('/profile', { state: { userId: 123 } });
const { state } = useLocation();

Q20. How do you handle route transitions or animations?

Ans. Combine React Router with animation libraries like Framer Motion. Animate components based on route changes using useLocation() and <AnimatePresence>.

React Router continues to evolve, and staying sharp with its latest features—like nested routes, hooks, and lazy loading—is key to succeeding in modern React interviews. These 20 questions offer a strong foundation, but don’t stop here: practice building real apps, explore edge cases, and refine your explanations for different audiences.

If you found this guide helpful, consider bookmarking it or sharing it with fellow developers. And if you’re building your own interview prep library or educational content, feel free to adapt these questions to suit your style.

Happy routing—and good luck with your interviews!