Choose the right TanStack tool from the problem your project actually has.
Start from the problem
TanStack is a set of composable tools. Router owns pages, URL state, and route lifecycles. Query owns asynchronous server state. Start extends Router with SSR, server functions, and deployment boundaries. They are not three competing solutions.
Choose in three sentences
For an SPA with an existing backend, start with Router. For SSR, server functions, or a full-stack monorepo, start with Start. Add Query when remote data needs caching, retries, invalidation, or optimistic updates.
Turn this lesson into a verifiable skill
Explain the responsibility of Start, Router, and Query in one sentence each, and state why one app may use all three.
Choose a tool for three needs in an existing React app: page navigation, cached remote lists, and SSR. Record why.
The choices should be Router, Query, and Start, with a clear distinction between remote-state and URL-state ownership.
- Treating Query as a general-purpose client-state store.
- Assuming Start removes the need to understand Router.