Clarification needed: does TanStack Start support code-based routing?

[julen]

Hey there 👋

The TanStack Start routing guide states:

TanStack Start is built on top of TanStack Router, so all of the features of TanStack Router are available to you.

This led us to believe that code-based routing (in addition to file-based routing and virtual file routes) would be supported in TanStack Start. However, when attempting to implement it, we faced some issues. We then found discussion #3916 which suggests this might not actually be supported.

Could the maintainers please clarify:

1. Is code-based routing intended to work with TanStack Start?
2. If yes, we are happy to file a bug report with reproduction steps for the issues we came across.
3. If no, the documentation should probably be updated to clarify that while Start uses Router, not all Router features are available (and be specific about what can/cannot be used).

Thanks for the clarification!

[schiller-manuel]

start uses file based routing only

https://tanstack.com/start/latest/docs/framework/react/guide/routing#file-based-routing

[julen]

Thanks for the response, Manuel. Just to confirm: Virtual File Routes do work with Start, correct? FWIW we've been using them successfully for a while now.

I think part of the confusion might stem from how the documentation is structured. The Start routing guide links heavily to the main Router docs, which present a broader picture of routing options. It might be helpful to add a clear note in the Start docs specifically calling out which routing approaches are and aren't supported, to avoid this kind of confusion for others. Would that be worth considering?

[Glazy]

Is there any plan in the future to support code-based routing in Start @schiller-manuel?