React : difference between <Route exact path="/" /> and <Route path="/" />

🚀 React Route : Understanding the Difference between exact and No exact in the Route Component 🚀

Are you a beginner in React and confused about the exact usage of exact in the Route component? 🤔 Don't worry, we've got your back! In this article, we will unravel the mysteries and explain the key differences between <Route exact path="/" component={Home} /> and <Route path="/" component={Home} />. By the end of this blog post, you'll have a clear understanding of when to use exact and when to omit it. Let's dive in!

🔍 The Problem:

In the React Router library, the Route component is responsible for rendering specific components based on the requested URL paths. However, the behavior of the path attribute can sometimes cause confusion, especially when it comes to rendering components for the home page.

The doubt arises when comparing these two similar-looking Route examples for the home page:

<Route exact path="/" component={Home} />
<Route path="/" component={Home} />

The confusion stems from the usage of exact in the first example. What does it do? Why is it needed? Let's break it down! 🧩

🧐 The Explanation:

The key difference between the two Route examples lies in how they handle matching URL paths. Let's explore each one:

1. <Route path="/" component={Home} /> (No exact):

✅ This route matches any URL that starts with a /. This means that if your website has multiple routes, for example /about or /contact, this route will match all of them. This is because it only checks if the URL contains the specified path, not if it's an exact match.

2. <Route exact path="/" component={Home} /> (With exact):

✅ This route will only match the URL exactly equal to /. It won't match URLs with additional segments, such as /about or /contact. The exact keyword enforces an exact match between the URL and the specified path.

So, as you can see, the exact attribute specifies that the URL must match exactly with the specified path, while omitting it allows for matches with additional segments in the URL.

💡 The Solution:

To determine which one to use, consider the structure of your application. If you have a single-page application with no additional routes or nested routes, it is safe to use either form. However, if you have multiple routes or nested routes, using exact when defining your home route ensures that it is rendered only on the home page and not on other routes containing a /.

👣 Let's Visualize It:

To better illustrate the difference, let's consider an example:

Suppose we have three routes defined in our application:

<Route exact path="/" component={Home} />
<Route path="/about" component={About} />
<Route path="/contact" component={Contact} />

• With <Route exact path="/" component={Home} />, visiting / renders the Home component, but visiting /about or /contact will not match this route.

• With <Route path="/" component={Home} />, visiting /, /about, and /contact will all match the Home component as all three URLs start with /.

By visualizing the routes, we can easily understand how the exact attribute plays a crucial role in determining the appropriate route matching behavior.

📣 The Call-to-Action:

Now that you are armed with the knowledge of exact and non-exact routing behavior, it's your turn to put it into practice! Check your React projects and modify the Route components accordingly to ensure proper rendering of your components based on the requested URLs.

If you found this article helpful, don't forget to share it with other React enthusiasts! Let them know about the key differences between exact and non-exact in Route components. Keep learning and building awesome React applications! 💪

Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. We'd love to hear your thoughts and provide further assistance. Happy coding! 😄✨