Why Do I Need to Refresh My Site Before the Update Shows? Tanstack Query/Table Explained

Have you ever wondered why, after making changes to your website, you need to refresh the page to see the updates? It’s not just you being impatient; there’s a solid explanation behind this phenomenon. In this article, we’ll dive into the world of Tanstack Query and Table, and explore the reasons why refreshing your site is often necessary to see the latest changes.

What is Tanstack Query?

Tanstack Query is a popular data fetching and caching library used in many modern web applications. Its primary purpose is to manage data fetching, caching, and updates for your website or application. It’s often used in conjunction with popular libraries like React Query and React Table.

How Does Tanstack Query Work?

import { useQuery, useQueryClient } from '@tanstack/react-query';

function MyComponent() {
  const { data, error, isLoading } = useQuery(
    'myData', // key
    async () => {
      // Fetch data from API or database
      const response = await fetch('/api/data');
      return response.json();
    }
  );

  if (isLoading) return <div>Loading...</div>;
  if (error) return <div>Error: {error.message}</div>;

  return <div>Data: {data}</div>;
}

In the example above, the useQuery hook fetches data from an API or database and stores it in the cache. The useQueryClient hook allows you to access the query client, which we’ll discuss later.

Why Do I Need to Refresh My Site?

When you make changes to your website or application, Tanstack Query’s caching mechanism can sometimes cause issues. Here are some reasons why you might need to refresh your site to see the updates:

• Caching**: Tanstack Query stores fetched data in the cache to reduce the number of requests to the API or database. This caching mechanism can cause stale data to be displayed until the cache is updated or invalidated.
• Data Invalidation**: When data is updated, the cache needs to be invalidated to fetch the latest data. This process can take some time, requiring a refresh to fetch the updated data.

import { useQuery, useQueryClient } from '@tanstack/react-query';

function MyComponent() {
  const { data, error, isLoading } = useQuery(
    'myData', // key
    async () => {
      // Fetch data from API or database
      const response = await fetch('/api/data');
      return response.json();
    }
  );

  const queryClient = useQueryClient();

  const handleRefresh = () => {
    queryClient.invalidateQueries('myData');
    queryClient.refetchQueries('myData');
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <button onClick={handleRefresh}>Refresh</button>
      <p>Data: {data}</p>
    </div>
  );
}