React-router URLs don't work when refreshing or writing manually

Boosting SEO with Node.js isomorphic rendering

How about enhancing SEO with Node.js for isomorphic rendering? It delivers the same content, whether server or client-side — like being ambidextrous for servers. This not only revs up performance but boosts SEO as crawlers index your pages like Sherlock Holmes on a case.

Simplifying life with Hash History

When your server won't budge, or you just favor a lighter touch, Hash History (#/about) ensures routing stays in the browser's court. The server only glimpses the base URL before #, not unlike looking through a keyhole. This ease does trade off with SEO impact, as crawlers might perceive hash-based routes as homogenous pages instead of distinct ones.

Exploring development tooling and configurations

Configuring Webpack's historyApiFallback: true guarantees that you won't yell "404!" in frustration while developing a single-page application (SPA). It acts like a routing GPS, sending all missed turns back to index.html.

For Apache servers, scribe an .htaccess file with a RewriteRule:

RewriteEngine On  
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.html$ - [L] // L: for last rule (The Highlander rule: "There can be only one!")
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.html [L] // For all routes: "Missed me? Here’s index.html!"
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This magic Apache scroll pushes all traffics through index.html, letting React Router take the URL parsing relay baton.

And while you're in the server's engine room, flick the mod_rewrite switch. This is essential for these rewrites to happen. Like a chameleon, it aids SEO optimization and ensures deep linking fits right in.

Journey to server-side with React-router

Deploying a React app with React Router calls for some server-side hospitality. Whether under the stewardship of Nginx, Apache, or a Node.js server, the server must set the stage for the script-loading show before React Router orchestrates client-side navigation.

Nginx server-side tour guide

For the Nginx followers, guide your URLs with a server block configuration:

location / {
  try_files $uri /index.html; // Nginx server code prank: When 404 happens, surprise user with the homepage!
}
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This Nginx snippet gently nudges the server to serve the requested file ($uri), or if it's gone rogue, serve index.html instead.

Server-rendered detour

Think hybrid! Server-rendered scripts come to rescue when specific paths crave an SEO spotlight. Dynamic rendering can offer fully rendered pages to certain users—like rolling out the red carpet for search engine crawlers.

Mastering the way of isomorphic

If JavaScript were a martial art, isomorphic JavaScript would be its grandmaster style. It allows the seamless flow of code between client and server-side, leveling up your application's performance and wielding a worldwide SEO boost.