My First Time Using TanStack Start

When I first heard about TanStack Start, I was skeptical. Another framework? Another build tool? Another learning curve? But after spending the last month working with it, I can honestly say it's changed how I think about building modern web applications. Let me take you through my journey.

The Initial Setup - Easier Than Expected

My biggest fear was the setup process. I've been through countless framework setup nightmares, but TanStack Start surprised me.

# Getting started was genuinely simple
npm create tanstack-start@latest my-app
cd my-app
npm run dev

Within seconds, I had a working dev server. No webpack configuration headaches, no mysterious build errors. Just a clean, modern React application ready for development.

Understanding the Folder Structure

One thing that immediately stood out was how intuitive the folder structure felt:

my-app/
├── app/
│   ├── routes/
│   │   ├── index.tsx      # Home page
│   │   └── about.tsx      # About page
│   ├── client.tsx
│   └── server.tsx
├── public/
└── tansack.config.ts

Coming from Next.js, this felt refreshingly minimal yet familiar. The file-based routing Just Works™, but with more flexibility than I expected.

The Aha Moment: Type-Safe Routing

This is where TanStack Start truly shined. Remember those times when you rename a route and forget to update all the links? Yeah, those bugs are gone.

import { Link } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 
// Type-safe navigation - this is checked at compile time!
<Link to="/blog/$postId" params={{ postId: "123" }}>
  Read More
</Link>;

TypeScript knows about every route in my application. If I misspell a route or pass wrong parameters, I get an error immediately. This alone saved me hours of debugging.

Data Fetching Done Right

The loader pattern in TanStack Start felt natural and powerful. Here's a real example from my project:

// routes/blog.$postId.tsx
import { createFileRoute } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 
export const Route = createFileRoute("/blog/$postId")({
  loader: async ({ params }) => {
    const post = await fetchPost(params.postId);
    return { post };
  },
  component: BlogPost,
});
 
function BlogPost() {
  const { post } = Route.useLoaderData();
 
  return (
    <article>
      <h1>{post.title}</h1>
      <div>{post.content}</div>
    </article>
  );
}

What I love here:

• Type-safe params: The postId is typed automatically
• Automatic loading states: Built-in pending states without extra code
• Data is cached: Navigate away and back? Instant.

The Challenges I Faced

Not everything was smooth sailing. Here are some bumps I hit:

1. Mental Model Shift

Coming from Next.js App Router, I had to unlearn some patterns. Server Components? Not here. Instead, TanStack Start uses loaders and actions - which honestly feels cleaner.

2. Ecosystem Maturity

Being relatively new, some third-party integrations required custom setup. For example, setting up authentication took longer than expected, but the flexibility was worth it.

3. Documentation Gaps

While the core docs are solid, I found myself diving into GitHub issues for advanced patterns. The community is helpful, but you need to be comfortable exploring.

What Makes TanStack Start Special?

After building a complete blog platform with it, here's what sets it apart:

1. Developer Experience

The DX is incredible. Hot reload is fast, TypeScript errors are helpful, and the router DevTools give you superpowers for debugging.

2. Performance by Default

Code splitting, asset optimization, and smart caching work out of the box. My Lighthouse scores were impressive without manual optimization.

3. Full-Stack Capabilities

Server functions let you write backend logic right next to your components:

// routes/api/newsletter.tsx
export const Route = createFileRoute("/api/newsletter")({
  action: async ({ request }) => {
    const data = await request.formData();
    const email = data.get("email");
 
    await subscribeToNewsletter(email);
    return { success: true };
  },
});

No separate API routes file. No context switching. Just write the code where it makes sense.

Real-World Example: Building a Dashboard

Let me show you a practical example. I built a dashboard with multiple data sources:

// routes/dashboard.tsx
import { createFileRoute } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 
export const Route = createFileRoute("/dashboard")({
  loader: async () => {
    // Parallel data fetching
    const [stats, users, activities] = await Promise.all([
      fetchStats(),
      fetchUsers(),
      fetchActivities(),
    ]);
 
    return { stats, users, activities };
  },
  component: Dashboard,
});
 
function Dashboard() {
  const { stats, users, activities } = Route.useLoaderData();
 
  return (
    <div className="dashboard">
      <StatsCard data={stats} />
      <UserList users={users} />
      <ActivityFeed activities={activities} />
    </div>
  );
}

The loader runs on the server, data is prefetched before rendering, and the component receives fully typed data. Beautiful.

Comparison with Other Frameworks

Having worked with Next.js, Remix, and now TanStack Start, here's my honest take:

TanStack Start gives you the flexibility of Remix with the type safety you wish Next.js had.

My Verdict: Should You Try It?

Yes, if:

• You value type safety and want your router to be part of that
• You're comfortable learning new patterns
• You want full-stack capabilities without framework lock-in
• You appreciate minimal magic and explicit patterns

Maybe wait if:

• You need a massive ecosystem with plugins for everything
• You're working on a tight deadline and need battle-tested solutions
• You prefer convention over configuration

What's Next for Me?

I'm migrating my personal portfolio (yes, this very site!) to TanStack Start. The combination of type safety, performance, and developer experience is too good to pass up.

I'll be writing more posts about specific patterns I discover, performance optimizations, and real-world challenges. Stay tuned!

Resources That Helped Me

• Official TanStack Start Docs
• TanStack Router Docs - Essential reading
• GitHub Discussions - Super active community

Final Thoughts

TanStack Start isn't just another framework. It's a fresh perspective on how full-stack React applications should be built. The type safety, the routing system, and the overall DX make it a joy to work with.

Is it perfect? No. Is it production-ready? Absolutely. Would I recommend it? Without hesitation.

Give it a weekend, build something small, and see for yourself. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Got questions about TanStack Start? Drop them in the comments below or reach out on Twitter/X. I'd love to chat about your experiences!

Happy coding! 🚀