Shallow routing concept in NextJS - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is shallow routing in Next.js?

Shallow routing lets you change the URL without running data fetching methods again or fully reloading the page. It updates the URL and state smoothly.

beginner

How do you enable shallow routing when using Next.js router?

You pass { shallow: true } as an option to router.push() or router.replace() to enable shallow routing.

intermediate

Why use shallow routing in a Next.js app?

It improves user experience by avoiding full page reloads and skipping data fetching, making navigation faster and smoother.

intermediate

Does shallow routing trigger getServerSideProps or getStaticProps again?

No, shallow routing does not trigger getServerSideProps or getStaticProps again. It only changes the URL and state on the client side.

beginner

Give an example of shallow routing usage in Next.js.

Example: router.push('/page?tab=2', undefined, { shallow: true }) changes the URL query without reloading the page or fetching data again.

What does shallow routing in Next.js avoid?

A Full page reload and data fetching

B Changing the URL

C Updating the browser history

D Rendering components

Shallow routing avoids full page reloads and data fetching, but still changes the URL and updates the browser history.

How do you enable shallow routing when navigating programmatically?

A router.reload()

B router.push(url, { shallow: false })

C router.push(url, undefined, { shallow: true })

D router.prefetch(url)

You enable shallow routing by passing { shallow: true } as the third argument to router.push or router.replace.

Which data fetching methods are NOT called again during shallow routing?

A getServerSideProps and getStaticProps

B useEffect hooks

C API routes

D Client-side state updates

Shallow routing does not trigger getServerSideProps or getStaticProps again, so data fetching on the server is skipped.

When is shallow routing most useful?

A When loading a new page completely

B When updating query parameters without full reload

C When prefetching data

D When refreshing the browser

Shallow routing is useful for updating URL parts like query parameters without reloading the whole page.

What happens to the browser history during shallow routing?

A It clears all entries

B It resets to the first page

C It does not change

D It updates normally with the new URL

Shallow routing updates the browser history with the new URL, so users can navigate back and forth.

Explain shallow routing in Next.js and why it improves user experience.

Think about how changing tabs on a page without reloading feels faster.

Describe how to implement shallow routing when changing query parameters in Next.js.

Look at the router methods and their options.