Fixing “BrowserRouter Context” Errors in React Router

A common mistake when using React Router is forgetting to wrap your application with <BrowserRouter> (or other router components), which leads to errors when trying to use routing hooks like useNavigate or components like <Link>.

The Core Problem

// ❌ Wrong - missing router wrapper
import { Routes, Route } from 'react-router-dom';

function App() {
  return (
    <div>
      <Routes>
        <Route path="/" element={<Home />} />
      </Routes>
    </div>
  );
}

Correct Solutions

1. Basic Wrapping Pattern

// ✅ Correct - wrap entire app
import { BrowserRouter, Routes, Route } from 'react-router-dom';

function App() {
  return (
    <BrowserRouter>
      <Routes>
        <Route path="/" element={<Home />} />
        <Route path="/about" element={<About />} />
      </Routes>
    </BrowserRouter>
  );
}

2. Alternative Router Types

React Router provides several router types for different environments:

// For web browsers (recommended for most SPAs)
import { BrowserRouter } from 'react-router-dom';

// For static file servers
import { HashRouter } from 'react-router-dom';

// For testing and non-browser environments
import { MemoryRouter } from 'react-router-dom';

// For React Native
import { NativeRouter } from 'react-router-native';

Where to Place the Router

1. In Your Main Entry File (Recommended)

// src/index.js or main.jsx
import React from 'react';
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
import { BrowserRouter } from 'react-router-dom';
import App from './App';

ReactDOM.render(
  <React.StrictMode>
    <BrowserRouter>
      <App />
    </BrowserRouter>
  </React.StrictMode>,
  document.getElementById('root')
);

2. In Your App Component

// src/App.jsx
import { BrowserRouter, Routes, Route } from 'react-router-dom';

export default function App() {
  return (
    <BrowserRouter>
      <div className="app">
        <Header />
        <Routes>
          <Route path="/" element={<Home />} />
        </Routes>
        <Footer />
      </div>
    </BrowserRouter>
  );
}

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Multiple Routers

// ❌ Wrong - don't nest routers
<BrowserRouter>
  <BrowserRouter> {/* Never do this */}
    <App />
  </BrowserRouter>
</BrowserRouter>

2. Partial Wrapping

// ❌ Wrong - some routing components outside router
<BrowserRouter>
  <Routes> {/* Good */}
    <Route path="/" element={<Home />} />
  </Routes>
</BrowserRouter>

<Link to="/about">About</Link> {/* Bad - outside router */}

Testing Your Setup

To verify your router is properly configured:

1. Check if <Link> components render as <a> tags
2. Verify URL changes when navigating
3. Ensure useNavigate() works without errors
4. Confirm route matching works correctly

Troubleshooting

If you’re still having issues:

1. Error: “useNavigate() may be used only in the context of a Router”

• Solution: Move all routing-related code inside <BrowserRouter>

1. Error: “useHref() requires a routing context”

• Solution: Ensure all <Link> components are within the router

1. Routes not working:

• Verify you’re using React Router v6+
• Check your basename if deploying to a subdirectory

Remember that in React Router v6, the router context must wrap all components that use routing features. This single requirement solves most routing-related errors in React applications.