TanStack Solid Start (@tanstack/solid-start)
This skill builds on start-core. Read start-core first for foundational concepts.
This skill covers the Solid-specific bindings, setup, and patterns for TanStack Start.
CRITICAL: All code is ISOMORPHIC by default. Loaders run on BOTH server and client. Use
createServerFnfor server-only logic.
CRITICAL: Do not confuse
@tanstack/solid-startwith SolidStart (@solidjs/start). They are completely different frameworks with different APIs.
CRITICAL: Types are FULLY INFERRED. Never cast, never annotate inferred values.
Package API Surface
@tanstack/solid-start re-exports everything from @tanstack/start-client-core plus:
useServerFn— Solid hook for calling server functions from components
All core APIs (createServerFn, createMiddleware, createStart, createIsomorphicFn, createServerOnlyFn, createClientOnlyFn) are available from @tanstack/solid-start.
Server utilities (getRequest, getRequestHeader, setResponseHeader, setCookie, getCookie, useSession) are imported from @tanstack/solid-start/server.
Full Project Setup
1. Install Dependencies
npm i @tanstack/solid-start @tanstack/solid-router solid-js
npm i -D vite vite-plugin-solid typescript
2. package.json
{
"type": "module",
"scripts": {
"dev": "vite dev",
"build": "vite build",
"start": "node .output/server/index.mjs"
}
}
3. tsconfig.json
{
"compilerOptions": {
"jsx": "preserve",
"jsxImportSource": "solid-js",
"moduleResolution": "Bundler",
"module": "ESNext",
"target": "ES2022",
"skipLibCheck": true,
"strictNullChecks": true
}
}
4. vite.config.ts
import { defineConfig } from 'vite'
import { tanstackStart } from '@tanstack/solid-start/plugin/vite'
import solidPlugin from 'vite-plugin-solid'
export default defineConfig({
plugins: [
tanstackStart(), // MUST come before solid plugin
solidPlugin({ ssr: true }),
],
})
5. Router Factory (src/router.tsx)
import { createRouter } from '@tanstack/solid-router'
import { routeTree } from './routeTree.gen'
export function getRouter() {
const router = createRouter({
routeTree,
scrollRestoration: true,
})
return router
}
6. Root Route (src/routes/__root.tsx)
import {
Outlet,
createRootRoute,
HeadContent,
Scripts,
} from '@tanstack/solid-router'
import { HydrationScript } from 'solid-js/web'
import { Suspense } from 'solid-js'
export const Route = createRootRoute({
head: () => ({
meta: [
{ charSet: 'utf-8' },
{ name: 'viewport', content: 'width=device-width, initial-scale=1' },
{ title: 'My TanStack Start App' },
],
}),
// shellComponent renders the HTML document shell (always SSR'd)
shellComponent: RootDocument,
})
function RootDocument(props: { children: any }) {
return (
<html>
<head>
<HydrationScript />
</head>
<body>
<HeadContent />
<Suspense>{props.children}</Suspense>
<Scripts />
</body>
</html>
)
}
7. Index Route (src/routes/index.tsx)
import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/solid-router'
import { createServerFn } from '@tanstack/solid-start'
const getGreeting = createServerFn({ method: 'GET' }).handler(async () => {
return 'Hello from TanStack Start!'
})
export const Route = createFileRoute('/')({
loader: () => getGreeting(),
component: HomePage,
})
function HomePage() {
const greeting = Route.useLoaderData()
return <h1>{greeting()}</h1>
}
useServerFn Hook
Use useServerFn to call server functions from Solid components with automatic redirect handling:
import { createServerFn, useServerFn } from '@tanstack/solid-start'
import { createSignal } from 'solid-js'
const updatePost = createServerFn({ method: 'POST' })
.validator((data: { id: string; title: string }) => data)
.handler(async ({ data }) => {
await db.posts.update(data.id, { title: data.title })
return { success: true }
})
function EditPostForm(props: { postId: string }) {
const updatePostFn = useServerFn(updatePost)
const [title, setTitle] = createSignal('')
return (
<form
(e) => {
e.preventDefault()
await updatePostFn({ data: { id: props.postId, title: title() } })
}}
>
<input value={title()} => setTitle(e.target.value)} />
<button type="submit">Save</button>
</form>
)
}
Unlike the React version, useServerFn does NOT wrap the returned function in any memoization (no useCallback equivalent needed — Solid's setup runs once).
Solid-Specific Components
All routing components from @tanstack/solid-router work in Start:
<Outlet>— renders matched child route<Link>— type-safe navigation<Navigate>— declarative redirect<HeadContent>— renders head tags via@solidjs/meta(must be in<body>— uses portals to inject into<head>)<Scripts>— renders body scripts (must be in<body>)<Await>— renders deferred data with<Suspense><ClientOnly>— renders children only after hydration<CatchBoundary>— error boundary wrappingSolid.ErrorBoundary
Hooks Reference
All hooks from @tanstack/solid-router work in Start. Most return Accessor<T> — call the accessor to read:
useRouter()— router instance (NOT an Accessor)useRouterState()—Accessor<T>, subscribe to router stateuseNavigate()— navigation function (NOT an Accessor)useSearch({ from })—Accessor<T>, validated search paramsuseParams({ from })—Accessor<T>, path paramsuseLoaderData({ from })—Accessor<T>, loader datauseMatch({ from })—Accessor<T>, full route matchuseRouteContext({ from })—Accessor<T>, route contextRoute.useLoaderData()—Accessor<T>, typed loader data (preferred in route files)Route.useSearch()—Accessor<T>, typed search params (preferred in route files)
Common Mistakes
1. CRITICAL: Importing from wrong package
// WRONG — this is the SPA router, NOT Start
import { createServerFn } from '@tanstack/solid-router'
// CORRECT — server functions come from solid-start
import { createServerFn } from '@tanstack/solid-start'
// CORRECT — routing APIs come from solid-router (re-exported by Start too)
import { createFileRoute, Link } from '@tanstack/solid-router'
2. CRITICAL: Forgetting to call Accessor
Most hooks return Accessor<T>. Must call to read the value.
// WRONG
const data = Route.useLoaderData()
return <h1>{data.message}</h1>
// CORRECT
const data = Route.useLoaderData()
return <h1>{data().message}</h1>
3. HIGH: Missing Scripts component
Without <Scripts /> in the root route's <body>, client JavaScript doesn't load and the app won't hydrate.
4. HIGH: Solid plugin before Start plugin in Vite config
// WRONG
plugins: [solidPlugin(), tanstackStart()]
// CORRECT
plugins: [tanstackStart(), solidPlugin()]
Cross-References
- start-core — core Start concepts
- router-core — routing fundamentals
- solid-router — Solid Router hooks and components