Best Practices for Structuring RTK Query API Slices in Large Applications
When building large-scale applications, organizing RTK Query API slices properly ensures your codebase remains modular, maintainable, and easy to scale. A good structure helps with team collaboration, reusability, and performance.
Recommended Best Practices
- **1. Use a Feature-Based Approach:** Group endpoints by domain or feature (e.g., usersApi, postsApi) instead of having one massive API slice.
- **2. Create a Shared Root API:** Define a common createApi instance (with shared baseQuery, headers, and tag types) and extend it with injectEndpoints for modularity.
- **3. Use Consistent Tagging:** Define clear tagTypes to manage cache invalidation across different slices.
- **4. Co-locate APIs with Features:** Place API files alongside their corresponding feature components and Redux slices for better discoverability.
- **5. Keep API Logic Pure:** Avoid adding UI or business logic inside API definitions—use onQueryStarted only for small side effects like optimistic updates.
- **6. Re-export Hooks:** Only export the generated hooks (e.g., useGetPostsQuery) from each API slice to keep imports clean and maintain encapsulation.
- **7. Use TypeScript for Strong Typing:** Ensure your endpoints have typed request parameters and responses for better safety and autocompletion.
Example: Modular RTK Query Structure
This modular approach lets you split endpoints across files, improve code organization, and scale the app as it grows — while keeping all API logic under a consistent root.
Key Benefits
- **- Scalability:** Easily add or modify feature APIs without touching unrelated code.
- **- Maintainability:** Clear structure improves readability and debugging.
- **- Modularity:** Independent feature slices allow better code reuse and lazy loading.
- **- Team Collaboration:** Different teams can safely manage different slices.
Following these practices helps large applications stay efficient, organized, and easier to maintain as the codebase evolves.