What is the difference between shallow routing and normal routing?

Shallow routing is a feature that allows you to change the URL without losing state or triggering a full page refresh. This is particularly useful in single-page applications (SPAs) where maintaining the current state of the application is crucial for a seamless user experience. In contrast, normal routing typically involves a full page reload, which can disrupt the user experience by resetting the application state.

Understanding the differences between shallow routing and normal routing is essential for optimizing performance and user experience in frontend applications. Below, I will outline the key differences, practical examples, best practices, and common mistakes associated with both routing methods.

Key Differences

State Preservation

One of the primary differences is how each routing method handles state:

• Shallow Routing: Maintains the current state of the application. For example, if a user is filling out a form, switching to a different URL using shallow routing will keep the form data intact.
• Normal Routing: Resets the application state. When a user navigates to a new URL, the entire application is reloaded, and any unsaved data will be lost.

Performance

Performance is another critical aspect:

• Shallow Routing: Faster since it avoids a full page reload. The application can update the URL and render new components without the overhead of reloading the entire page.
• Normal Routing: Slower due to the full page reload, which can lead to a less responsive user experience.

Use Cases

Different scenarios call for different routing methods:

• Shallow Routing: Ideal for applications that require frequent URL updates without losing state, such as dynamic forms or filters in a data table.
• Normal Routing: Suitable for traditional multi-page applications where each page is distinct and does not need to maintain state across navigations.

Practical Examples

Here’s how you might implement both routing methods in a React application using Next.js:

import { useRouter } from 'next/router';

function MyComponent() {
    const router = useRouter();

    const handleShallowRouting = () => {
        router.push('/new-url', undefined, { shallow: true });
    };

    const handleNormalRouting = () => {
        router.push('/new-url');
    };

    return (
        

            Shallow Route
            Normal Route
        
    );
}

Best Practices

• Use shallow routing when you need to update the URL without losing the current state of the application.
• Ensure that your components can handle state restoration if a normal route is triggered.
• Test your application thoroughly to identify scenarios where state loss might occur with normal routing.

Common Mistakes

• Assuming shallow routing is the default behavior; always specify it explicitly when needed.
• Neglecting to manage component state effectively, leading to confusion when switching between shallow and normal routing.
• Overusing shallow routing in scenarios where a full page reload is more appropriate, which can lead to performance issues.

In conclusion, understanding the differences between shallow routing and normal routing is vital for building efficient and user-friendly frontend applications. By leveraging the strengths of each method appropriately, developers can create seamless experiences that enhance user satisfaction.