Navigation

Routing and navigation best practices for Flutter applications using GoRouter, the Flutter team's recommended routing package built on the Navigator 2.0 API.

Core Standards

Apply these standards to ALL navigation work:

• Use package:go_router for all navigation — never raw Navigator 2.0 or Navigator 1.0 push/pop
• Use @TypedGoRoute annotations for type-safe routes — never raw string paths in route definitions
• Prefer go() over push() — use push() only when expecting return data from the destination
• Never use the extra parameter — it breaks deep linking and does not work on the web
• Hierarchical sub-routes for proper back navigation — structure routes as parent-child trees, not flat lists
• Hyphens for URL word separation — never underscores or camelCase in URL paths
• Navigate by route name, not raw path strings — use named route navigation to decouple from path changes
• Use BuildContext extensions for navigation — prefer context.goNamed() over GoRouter.of(context).goNamed()

Route Organization

Structure routes hierarchically with logical parent-child relationships. Sub-routes ensure the app bar back button displays correctly and URLs remain clean.

Hierarchical Structure (Preferred)

/flutter
  /flutter/news
  /flutter/chat
  /flutter/articles
    /flutter/articles?category=all
    /flutter/article/:id
/android
  /android/news
  /android/chat

Flat Structure (Avoid)

/flutter-news
/flutter-chat
/android-news
/android-chat

Hierarchical sub-routes produce proper backward navigation automatically — when a user is on /flutter/news, the back button navigates to /flutter.

Type-Safe Routes

Use @TypedGoRoute annotations with GoRouteData classes to eliminate typos and manual parameter casting. The go_router_builder package generates type-safe route helpers at build time.

Basic Route

@TypedGoRoute<CategoriesPageRoute>(
  name: 'categories',
  path: '/categories',
)
@immutable
class CategoriesPageRoute extends GoRouteData {
  const CategoriesPageRoute({
    this.size,
    this.color,
  });

  final String? size;
  final String? color;

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context, GoRouterState state) {
    return CategoriesPage(size: size, color: color);
  }
}

Route with Sub-Routes

@TypedGoRoute<FlutterPageRoute>(
  name: 'flutter',
  path: '/flutter',
  routes: [
    TypedGoRoute<FlutterNewsPageRoute>(
      name: 'flutterNews',
      path: 'news',
    ),
    TypedGoRoute<FlutterArticlesPageRoute>(
      name: 'flutterArticles',
      path: 'articles',
      routes: [
        TypedGoRoute<FlutterArticlePageRoute>(
          name: 'flutterArticle',
          path: 'article/:id',
        ),
      ],
    ),
  ],
)
@immutable
class FlutterPageRoute extends GoRouteData {
  const FlutterPageRoute();

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context, GoRouterState state) {
    return const FlutterPage();
  }
}

Navigation Methods

go() vs push()

Method	URL Updates	Back Button	Use Case
go()	Yes	App bar	Standard navigation between screens
push()	No	System	When expecting return data from popped route

Using go() (Default)

const CategoriesPageRoute(size: 'small', color: 'blue').go(context);

Using go() ensures the back button in the app's AppBar displays when the current route has a parent to navigate back to.

Using push() (Return Data Only)

final result = await DialogPageRoute().push<String>(context);

Use push() only when a route must return data (e.g., a dialog collecting user input). On the web, push() does not update the address bar.

BuildContext Extensions

Always use extension methods for cleaner syntax:

// Preferred
context.goNamed('flutterNews');

// Avoid
GoRouter.of(context).goNamed('flutterNews');

Parameter Strategies

Use path parameters (:id) for resource identification and query parameters (?category=all) for optional filtering. Never use extra — it breaks deep linking and does not work on the web.

See references/parameters.md for full examples of path parameters, query parameters, and why extra is prohibited.

Redirects

Redirects can be applied at the root router level (e.g., authentication guards) and at individual route levels (e.g., authorization guards). Parent redirects execute before child redirects.

See references/redirects.md for root-level and route-level redirect examples.

Testing

Mock GoRouter with package:mocktail and wrap widgets in InheritedGoRouter for widget tests. Test redirects by constructing a GoRouter with the target redirect logic and asserting the resulting page.

See references/testing.md for mocking GoRouter and testing redirect examples.

Common Patterns

Adding a New Route

1. Create the page widget (following the Page/View pattern if using Bloc)
2. Define a GoRouteData class with @TypedGoRoute annotation
3. Add it as a sub-route under the appropriate parent route
4. Run dart run build_runner build --delete-conflicting-outputs to regenerate route helpers
5. Navigate using the generated type-safe route class

Deep Linking Setup

1. Structure routes hierarchically with meaningful URL paths
2. Use path parameters for resource identification
3. Use query parameters for filtering — never extra
4. Navigate by route name so path restructuring does not break links
5. Test deep links by launching the app with the target URL

Nested Navigation (Shell Routes)

@TypedShellRoute<AppShellRoute>(
  routes: [
    TypedGoRoute<HomePageRoute>(
      name: 'home',
      path: '/home',
    ),
    TypedGoRoute<SettingsPageRoute>(
      name: 'settings',
      path: '/settings',
    ),
  ],
)
class AppShellRoute extends ShellRouteData {
  @override
  Widget builder(BuildContext context, GoRouterState state, Widget navigator) {
    return AppShell(child: navigator);
  }
}

Quick Reference

Package	Purpose
go_router	Declarative routing built on Navigator 2.0
go_router_builder	Code generation for type-safe route classes

Command	Purpose
dart run build_runner build --delete-conflicting-outputs	Generate type-safe route helpers
dart run build_runner watch --delete-conflicting-outputs	Watch and regenerate on changes