How to Fix React Router 404 Errors When Refreshing Pages with URL Params

Описание: Learn how to resolve the 404 error issue in React Router when refreshing pages with URL parameters. This guide will show you the right configuration settings for Webpack and image paths.
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How to Fix React Router 404 Errors When Refreshing Pages with URL Params

When developing applications with React Router, encountering a 404 error can be frustrating, especially when you've worked hard to implement dynamic routing with URL parameters. This issue is particularly prominent when refreshing the page while on a user-specific URL, such as localhost:8080/user/1. If you find yourself facing this issue, you're not alone, and this guide will help you understand and resolve it.

The Problem: 404 Error on Page Refresh

Here's a common scenario many developers run into:

You set up your routing using React Router.

The application works perfectly when navigating between routes.

However, when you refresh the page on a URL that contains parameters (like /user/:id), you receive a 404 error.

This is typically caused by the server not knowing how to handle these dynamic routes.

The Solution: Adjusting Webpack Configuration

The good news is that the solution is often found within your Webpack configuration. Below, we'll break down the necessary changes step-by-step.

Step 1: Set the Public Path

To start, you'll need to ensure that you set the publicPath in your Webpack output configuration:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

The publicPath being set to '/' informs Webpack how to serve your assets.

Step 2: Check Your Image Paths

Now that we’ve addressed the routing issue, let’s talk about accessing your images. You may notice after making the above change that images from your assets folder are not loading correctly. This usually happens because of how you format the source paths in your code.

If your image source is set up like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

The inclusion of the / before the image path can cause issues in resolving the image's URL, leading to incorrect paths such as //assets/images/....

Step 3: Update Your Image Source

The fix is simple! Just remove the leading slash:

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By doing this, Webpack will handle the image path correctly, and your assets will load as assets/images/... instead of //assets/images/....

Conclusion

Congratulations! You've successfully resolved the React Router 404 error when refreshing pages with URL parameters. Remember to:

Set the publicPath in your Webpack output correctly.

Ensure your image paths are written correctly to avoid loading issues.

This fix may have seemed minor, but it's a critical step to ensuring that your application runs smoothly. Happy coding!