There are many ways to manage state in modern React applications, but the URL itself is a powerful hidden state manager that’s often overlooked.
This talk introduces `nuqs`, a library that simplifies URL state management in React. We’ll explore the benefits this approach: shareability, history navigation, and declarative client-server interaction.
Through a live demo, you’ll learn how to migrate from React.useState to nuqs’ useQueryState while we navigate concepts like client-only vs server-aware search parameters. We’ll also cover good practices for type-safe, pretty URLs, and how to avoid common pitfalls such as browser rate limits and URL size constraints.
If you’ve ever wondered what state belongs in the URL, and how to scale it, this talk will give you the answers.
This talk has been presented at React Advanced 2025, check out the latest edition of this React Conference.