As we build interactive web applications using and React Router, security becomes a crucial aspect to consider. It is essential to ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive information by protecting certain routes. React While there are various mechanisms--such as access tokens or role management libraries--to implement a comprehensive authentication system, in this tutorial, we will focus on implementing route access validation using React Router. We will build a simple application where we’ll learn how to set up private and public routes and redirect users when they try to access unauthorized routes. Basic knowledge of React Router is required to follow this tutorial. What is React Router? In essence, is a routing library designed for React-based web applications. Its main purpose is to facilitate navigation between components or views in a single-page application (SPA) declaratively. React Router Instead of having multiple separate HTML pages, React Router allows us to create a seamless navigation experience within a single web page. With this library, we can define routes and associate them with specific components. This way, when users access a particular URL, the corresponding component is dynamically displayed without reloading the entire page. Set up React Router We create a new with Vite and follow the steps indicated. This time, we will use , you can use the package manager of your choice. React project pnpm pnpm create vite We install the dependencies that we will need in the project: pnpm install react-router-dom a routing library for web applications built with React. : react-router-dom After that, we will create the following structure for the project: ...
├── src/
│   ├── components/
│   │   ├── layout/
│   │   │   └── Nav.jsx
│   │   ├── LoginButton.jsx
│   │   └── ProtectedRoute.jsx
│   ├── pages/
│   │   ├── AdminPage.jsx
│   │   ├── ConfigPage.jsx
│   │   ├── DashboardPage.jsx
│   │   ├── HomePage.jsx
│   │   ├── LandingPage.jsx
│   │   └── index.js
│   │   ...
│   ├── App.jsx
... Defining Routes : App.jsx import { useState } from "react"
import { BrowserRouter, Routes, Route } from "react-router-dom"

import { AdminPage, ConfigPage, DashboardPage, HomePage, LandingPage } from "./pages"

import Nav from "./components/layout/Nav"

import "./App.css"

function App() {
 const [user, setUser] = useState(null)

 return (
  <BrowserRouter>
   <Nav user={user} setUser={setUser} />

   <Routes>
    <Route index element={<LandingPage />} />
    <Route path='/landing' element={<LandingPage />} />
    <Route path='/home' element={<HomePage />} />
    <Route path='/dashboard' element={<DashboardPage />} />
    <Route path='/admin' element={<AdminPage />} />
    <Route path='/config' element={<ConfigPage />} />
   </Routes>
  </BrowserRouter>
 )
}

export default App In the App.js component, we establish the navigation and routing structure of the application using and define the different pages to be rendered for each specific route. react-router-dom We also use the state to store and update user information when logging in and out. For this tutorial, we will simply pass these properties down to child components. user We have also added the component, which is displayed at the top of all pages and provides a navigation bar. Nav : Nav.jsx import { Link } from "react-router-dom"
import LoginButton from "../LoginButton"

export default function Nav({ user, setUser }) {
 return (
  <nav>
   <ul>
    <li>
     <Link to='/landing'>Landing</Link>
    </li>
    <li>
     <Link to='/home'>Home</Link>
    </li>
    <li>
     <Link to='/admin'>Admin</Link>
    </li>
    <li>
     <Link to='/config'>Config</Link>
    </li>
    <li>
     <Link to='/dashboard'>Dashboard</Link>
    </li>
    <li>
     <LoginButton user={user} setUser={setUser} />
    </li>
   </ul>
  </nav>
 )
} In the component, we import the component, which we will use to simulate the login and logout. Nav LoginButton : LoginButton.jsx import { useState } from "react"

const USER_DUMMY1 = {
 id: 1,
 name: "John",
 permissions: ["admin", "dashboard"],
 roles: ["admin"],
}

const USER_DUMMY2 = {
 id: 2,
 name: "John",
 permissions: ["admin"],
 roles: ["admin"],
}

const USER_DUMMY3 = {
 id: 3,
 name: "John",
 permissions: ["dashboard"],
 roles: [],
}

export default function LoginButton({ user, setUser }) {
 const [userLogged, setUserLogged] = useState(null)

 const login = () => {
  setUser(userLogged)
 }

 const logout = () => {
  setUser(null)
  setUserLogged(null)
 }

 return (
  <div>
   {!user ? <button onClick={() => login()}>Login</button> : <button onClick={() => logout()}>Logout</button>}
   {!user && (
    <div>
     <button
      className={userLogged?.id === 1 && "active"}
      onClick={() => {
       setUserLogged(USER_DUMMY1)
      }}
     >
      User 1
     </button>
     <button className={userLogged?.id === 2 && "active"} onClick={() => setUserLogged(USER_DUMMY2)}>
      User 2
     </button>
     <button className={userLogged?.id === 3 && "active"} onClick={() => setUserLogged(USER_DUMMY3)}>
      User 3
     </button>
    </div>
   )}
  </div>
 )
} This component contains information for three sample users, each with different permissions and roles. This allows us to verify the correct validation of the routes. This component should contain all the user authentication logic. However, in this case, we will only simulate the login process. To visually test our protected routes, we have added a series of buttons that allow us to choose a test user to log in and check which pages they can access. With this, we have created an application with simple routing, implemented routes, a navigation bar, and a login feature. Now, it’s time to validate the routes for each user. Protecting the routes One way to protect routes is by using the concept of “nested routing” or “wrapper routing.” This involves wrapping a route within another route so that the wrapping route takes care of validating if the user is authenticated and has permission to access the inner route. Otherwise, the user can be redirected to another route, or the corresponding action can be taken based on your project’s needs. This technique allows effective control over access to certain routes and ensures the security of your application. : ProtectedRoute.jsx import { Navigate, Outlet } from "react-router-dom"

export default function ProtectedRoute({ isAllowed, redirectTo = "/landing", children }) {
 if (!isAllowed) {
  return <Navigate to={redirectTo} />
 }
 return children ? children : <Outlet />
} Inside , we define a function with three properties: , , and . ProtectedRoute isAllowed redirectTo children If is false (meaning the user is not permitted to access the route), it returns a component that redirects the user to the route specified by , which defaults to . isAllowed Navigate redirectTo /landing If is true (meaning the user has permission to access the route), the following code is executed: isAllowed It checks if the prop exists (child elements passed to the component). children ProtectedRoute If there are children, it returns , which means the child components will be rendered within . children ProtectedRoute If there are no children, it returns the component, which allows the nested routes to be rendered in that place. Outlet Once we have the component that will protect the routes, we need to update the router of the application: : App.jsx import { useState } from "react"
import { BrowserRouter, Routes, Route } from "react-router-dom"

import { AdminPage, ConfigPage, DashboardPage, HomePage, LandingPage } from "./pages"
import ProtectedRoute from "./components/ProtectedRoute"
import Nav from "./components/layout/Nav"

import "./App.css"

function App() {
 const [user, setUser] = useState(null)
 return (
  <BrowserRouter>
   <Nav user={user} setUser={setUser} />
   <Routes>
    <Route index element={<LandingPage />} />
    <Route path='/landing' element={<LandingPage />} />
    <Route element={<ProtectedRoute isAllowed={!!user} />}>
     <Route path='/home' element={<HomePage />} />
     <Route
      path='/dashboard'
      element={
       <ProtectedRoute isAllowed={!!user && user.permissions.includes("dashboard")} redirectTo='/home'>
        <DashboardPage />
       </ProtectedRoute>
      }
     />
     <Route
      path='/admin'
      element={
       <ProtectedRoute isAllowed={!!user && user.roles.includes("admin")} redirectTo='/home'>
        <AdminPage />
       </ProtectedRoute>
      }
     />
     <Route
      path='/config'
      element={
       <ProtectedRoute isAllowed={!!user && user.roles.includes("admin")} redirectTo='/home'>
        <ConfigPage />
       </ProtectedRoute>
      }
     />
    </Route>
   </Routes>
  </BrowserRouter>
 )
}
export default App As you can see, we have a main route that performs the initial validation through our component, which checks if the user is authenticated. ProtectedRoute In the nested routes, we perform additional validations based on the user’s specific roles and permissions. We also added a redirect route to which the user will be redirected if they don’t have access to the requested route. With this simple component, our routes are protected. From here, you can add the relevant rules to your project. As mentioned at the beginning of the tutorial, this part of route protection is one of the final steps in the entire authentication system. The permissions and/or roles to validate can come from a database, authentication token, or cookie, depending on the case. That’s it! The app looks as follows: See the demo here Repo here Conclusion In summary, we learned how to configure private and public routes, as well as how to redirect users when they try to access unauthorized routes. Although this is a basic implementation, it provided us with a fundamental understanding of how to secure our routes using React Router. Read more: Enhance Your Photos with the CSS Contrast, Brightness, Saturation, and Sepia Functions How to Reduce Response Times and Improve Performance with Redis Caching Want to connect with the Author? Love connecting with friends all around the world on . Twitter Also published . here

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Using React Router v6 for Private and Public Routes with Access Validation

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L Javier Tovar

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