Why I love type-safe routing — Obuobi Ayim DavidMay 2, 2025 · 5 min read
NAME
Why I love type-safe routing — Typed route patterns mean a broken link is a compile error, not a 3am production incident. Here is the pattern I reach for.
SYNOPSIS
why-i-love-type-safe-routing [TypeScript, DX]
DESCRIPTION
Most routing bugs are silent. You rename a path, forget one link, and suddenly a whole section of your app 404s for users while your local build stays green.
ENCODE THE PATH ONCE
By declaring routes as typed patterns, every href is built from a single source of truth:
let routes = route({
blog: get("/blog"),
blogPost: get("/blog/:slug"),
});
// slug is required and typed — no typos survive the compiler
routes.blogPost.href({ slug: post.slug });- Renaming a path updates every generated href automatically.
- Missing or wrong params are caught at build time.
- Dynamic segments are typed, not strings you hope are correct.
It's a small shift that pays for itself the first time a refactor would have otherwise broken a deep link.
SEE ALSO