tRPC
Overview
tRPC enables end-to-end type-safe APIs by sharing TypeScript types between server and client without code generation or schemas. The server defines procedures (queries, mutations, subscriptions) in a router, and the client infers all types from the exported AppRouter type.
When to use: TypeScript full-stack apps needing type-safe API layers, monorepos sharing types, real-time subscriptions, rapid API iteration without OpenAPI/GraphQL overhead.
When NOT to use: Public APIs consumed by non-TypeScript clients (use REST/GraphQL), polyglot backends, projects requiring OpenAPI spec generation as primary output.
Quick Reference
| Pattern | API | Key Points |
|---|---|---|
| Initialize | initTRPC.context<Ctx>().create() | Single entry point, configure once |
| Router | t.router({...}) | Nest routers with t.mergeRouters() |
| Query | t.procedure.input(schema).query(fn) | Read operations, cached by clients |
| Mutation | t.procedure.input(schema).mutation(fn) | Write operations |
| Subscription | t.procedure.subscription(fn) | Real-time via WebSocket or SSE |
| Middleware | t.middleware(fn) | Chain with .use(), extend context via next({ctx}) |
| Standalone middleware | experimental_standaloneMiddleware<{}>() | Reusable with explicit type constraints |
| Context | createContext({req, res}) | Per-request, passed to all procedures |
| Server caller | t.createCallerFactory(router) | Type-safe server-side procedure calls |
| Error | throw new TRPCError({code, message}) | Mapped to HTTP status codes |
| Error formatter | initTRPC.create({errorFormatter}) | Customize error shape, expose Zod errors |
| Input validation | .input(zodSchema) | Multiple .input() calls merge (intersection) |
| Output validation | .output(zodSchema) | Strip extra fields from responses |
| React hooks | trpc.useQuery() / trpc.useMutation() | Built on @tanstack/react-query |
| React utils | trpc.useUtils() | Invalidate, prefetch, setData on cache |
| Suspense query | trpc.useSuspenseQuery() | Suspense-compatible data fetching |
| React subscription | trpc.useSubscription(input, opts) | onData callback for real-time events |
| Vanilla client | createTRPCClient<AppRouter>({links}) | No React dependency |
| Batch link | httpBatchLink({url}) | Batches requests in single HTTP call |
| Stream link | httpBatchStreamLink({url}) | Streams responses as they resolve |
| WS link | wsLink({client: wsClient}) | WebSocket transport for subscriptions |
| Split link | splitLink({condition, true, false}) | Route operations to different transports |
| Logger link | loggerLink() | Debug request/response in development |
| Data transformer | initTRPC.create({transformer}) | Serialize Dates, Maps, Sets (superjson) |
| Fetch adapter | fetchRequestHandler({endpoint, req}) | Cloudflare Workers, Deno, Bun, Next.js |
| Procedure chaining | publicProcedure.use(auth).use(rateLimit) | Build reusable procedure bases |
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Correct Pattern |
|---|---|
Exporting the full t object | Export only t.router, t.procedure, t.middleware, t.createCallerFactory |
| Creating context inside procedure | Create context in adapter setup, flows through automatically |
Using any for context type | Define context type with initTRPC.context<MyContext>().create() |
| Catching errors in procedures | Let errors propagate; use onError in adapter or error formatter |
| Importing server code on client | Import only type AppRouter, never runtime server code |
Using createCaller in production request handlers | Use createCallerFactory for type-safe reusable callers |
| Defining input without validation | Always validate with Zod, Valibot, or ArkType schemas |
| Nesting routers incorrectly | Use dot notation in keys or t.mergeRouters(), not deep nesting |
| Different transformers on client/server | Both sides must use the same transformer (e.g., superjson) |
| Creating QueryClient inside component render | Create once outside component or use useState initializer |
| Manual TypeScript generics on hooks | Type the router procedures; let inference propagate to client |
Not passing signal to fetch in queryFn | tRPC React handles abort signals automatically |
Installation
pnpm add @trpc/server @trpc/client @trpc/react-query @tanstack/react-query zodFor subscriptions, add ws (server) and configure wsLink (client). For SSE-based subscriptions, use httpBatchStreamLink instead.
Delegation
- Procedure discovery: Use
Exploreagent - Router architecture review: Use
Taskagent - Code review: Delegate to
code-revieweragent
If thetanstack-queryskill is available, delegate query/mutation caching, invalidation, and optimistic update patterns to it. If thezod-validationskill is available, delegate input schema design and validation patterns to it. If thedrizzle-ormskill is available, delegate database query patterns within procedures to it. If thevitest-testingskill is available, delegate test runner configuration and assertion patterns to it. If thehonoskill is available, delegate Hono framework routing and middleware patterns to it.