<ProtectedRoute />

The ProtectedRoute component wraps a route component and enforces authentication. When the user is not signed in it either redirects to a specified URL or renders a fallback element. While authentication state is being resolved it shows a loading state.

note

ProtectedRoute must be rendered inside a ThunderIDProvider. It also requires TanStack Router's router context: wrap your application with RouterProvider.

Usage

Basic Usage

Use ProtectedRoute in the component of a TanStack Router route definition:

src/routes.tsx

import { createRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router'
import { ProtectedRoute } from '@thunderid/tanstack-router'
import Dashboard from './pages/Dashboard'

export const dashboardRoute = createRoute({
  getParentRoute: () => rootRoute,
  path: '/dashboard',
  component: () => (
    <ProtectedRoute redirectTo="/signin">
      <Dashboard />
    </ProtectedRoute>
  ),
})

Custom Fallback

Render a custom element instead of redirecting when the user is not authenticated:

src/routes.tsx

createRoute({
  getParentRoute: () => rootRoute,
  path: '/dashboard',
  component: () => (
    <ProtectedRoute
      fallback={
        <div>
          <h2>Sign in required</h2>
          <p>You must be signed in to view this page.</p>
        </div>
      }
    >
      <Dashboard />
    </ProtectedRoute>
  ),
})

Custom Loading State

Replace the default null loading state with a spinner or skeleton:

src/routes.tsx

createRoute({
  getParentRoute: () => rootRoute,
  path: '/dashboard',
  component: () => (
    <ProtectedRoute
      redirectTo="/signin"
      loader={<div className="spinner">Loading...</div>}
    >
      <Dashboard />
    </ProtectedRoute>
  ),
})

Protecting a Nested Layout

Protect a group of routes by placing ProtectedRoute in a shared layout route:

src/routes.tsx

import { createRoute, Outlet } from '@tanstack/react-router'
import { ProtectedRoute } from '@thunderid/tanstack-router'

const appLayoutRoute = createRoute({
  getParentRoute: () => rootRoute,
  path: '/app',
  component: () => (
    <ProtectedRoute redirectTo="/signin">
      <Outlet />
    </ProtectedRoute>
  ),
})

const dashboardRoute = createRoute({
  getParentRoute: () => appLayoutRoute,
  path: '/dashboard',
  component: Dashboard,
})

const settingsRoute = createRoute({
  getParentRoute: () => appLayoutRoute,
  path: '/settings',
  component: Settings,
})

Props

Prop	Type	Required	Description
children	ReactElement	✅	The element to render when the user is authenticated
redirectTo	string	❌	Path to redirect unauthenticated users to. Either redirectTo or fallback must be provided
fallback	ReactElement	❌	Element to render when the user is not authenticated. Either redirectTo or fallback must be provided
loader	ReactNode	❌	Element to render while authentication state is being resolved. Defaults to null

note

You must provide either redirectTo or fallback. If neither is provided, a ThunderIDRuntimeError is thrown.

Differences from @thunderid/react-router

The TanStack Router ProtectedRoute does not include onSignIn or signInOptions props. For custom sign-in logic, use the useThunderID() hook directly in the protected component or layout.

Error Handling

ProtectedRoute throws a ThunderIDRuntimeError if neither redirectTo nor fallback is provided.

// This will throw — one of redirectTo or fallback is required
<ProtectedRoute>
  <Dashboard />
</ProtectedRoute>