TanStack Query (React Query)
Server state management library for React (and Vue, Solid, Svelte) that handles data fetching, caching, synchronization, and updates. TanStack Query (formerly React Query) manages async server state with automatic caching, background refetching, optimistic updates, and request deduplication. Eliminates boilerplate useEffect+useState data fetching patterns with declarative useQuery/useMutation hooks.
Score Breakdown
⚙ Agent Friendliness
🔒 Security
Data fetched via TanStack Query is cached in memory — don't store sensitive data without appropriate cache clearing on logout. queryClient.clear() removes all cached data on logout.
⚡ Reliability
Best When
You're building React applications that fetch data from APIs and want automatic caching, loading states, and background synchronization without boilerplate.
Avoid When
You need GraphQL cache normalization (use Apollo), or you're managing purely client-side state (use Zustand/Jotai).
Use Cases
- • Replace useEffect data fetching with useQuery for automatic caching, loading states, and background refetching
- • Implement optimistic UI updates with useMutation and rollback on error without manual state management
- • Paginate and infinitely scroll server data with useInfiniteQuery for seamless list loading
- • Sync server state across components with QueryClient invalidation — no prop drilling of fetch results
- • Use Suspense integration with suspense: true for streaming server-rendered data in Next.js
Not For
- • Client-side state (UI state, form state) — use useState, useReducer, or Zustand for local state
- • Non-React projects using Vue or Svelte — use TanStack Query's framework-specific adapters or SWR
- • GraphQL-heavy applications — Apollo Client or urql are specialized for GraphQL including cache normalization
Interface
Authentication
Library with no auth requirement. API authentication handled by the fetch function passed to useQuery.
Pricing
Free and open source.
Agent Metadata
Known Gotchas
- ⚠ TanStack Query v5 changed from object options (useQuery({ queryKey, queryFn })) to positional signatures in some cases — check version; v4 and v5 APIs differ significantly
- ⚠ queryKey must be an array and must uniquely identify the query — using the same queryKey for different data causes cache collisions; include all parameters that affect the result
- ⚠ staleTime defaults to 0 — all data is considered stale immediately and refetches on focus/mount; set staleTime: Infinity for truly static data or set appropriate staleness window
- ⚠ useQuery with enabled: false still returns stale cached data — distinguish between 'disabled query' and 'no data yet' by checking data === undefined vs fetchStatus
- ⚠ Mutations don't invalidate queries automatically — call queryClient.invalidateQueries() in mutation's onSuccess to trigger refetch; forgetting causes stale UI after mutations
- ⚠ QueryClient must be provided via QueryClientProvider at the app root — hooks called outside a provider throw; SSR (Next.js) requires hydration setup with Hydrate component
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Scores are editorial opinions as of 2026-03-06.