React Query

It's likely that you may need to use your server actions for querying data on the client side. In order to do this, we recommend using zsa with @tanstack/react-query (aka React Query).

IMPORTANT: Although it is available in the library, please be advised against using server actions to query data. Server actions are currently optimised for mutations. This may be deprecated in the future. Apologies for any confusion. For better results, you should create an API route and fetch data normally using a GET request.

React Query is the leading solution for asynchronous querying and state management in React. By using React Query, you will have all the functionality of React Query for using your zsa server actions on the client side.

Installation

To get started, make sure you have installed zsa-react-query and @tanstack/react-query:

npm i zsa-react-query @tanstack/react-query

Next, wrap your application in a React Query provider:

providers/react-query.tsx

"use client"

import { QueryClient, QueryClientProvider } from "@tanstack/react-query"
import { useState } from "react"

function ReactQueryProvider({ children }: React.PropsWithChildren) {
  const [client] = useState(new QueryClient())

  return <QueryClientProvider client={client}>{children}</QueryClientProvider>
}

export default ReactQueryProvider

app/layout.tsx

export default function RootLayout({
  children,
}: {
  children: React.ReactNode
}): JSX.Element {

  return (
    <html lang="en">
      <body>
        <ReactQueryProvider>
            {children}
        </ReactQueryProvider>
      </body>
    </html>
  )
}

Finally, set up your hooks at @/lib/hooks/server-action-hooks.ts

lib/hooks/server-action-hooks.ts

import { useInfiniteQuery, useMutation, useQuery } from "@tanstack/react-query"
import {
  setupServerActionHooks
} from "zsa-react-query"

const {  
  useServerActionQuery,  
  useServerActionMutation,  
  useServerActionInfiniteQuery,  
} = setupServerActionHooks({  
  hooks: {   
    useQuery: useQuery,  
    useMutation: useMutation,  
    useInfiniteQuery: useInfiniteQuery,  
  },  
})  

export {
  useServerActionInfiniteQuery,  
  useServerActionMutation,  
  useServerActionQuery,  
}

Using now you can utilize useServerActionQuery, useServerActionMutation, and useServerActionInfiniteQuery for your server actions.

These hooks are synonymous with the useQuery useMutation and useInfiniteQuery hooks from React Query, the only difference being the first argument of these hooks will be your desired server action, and the second argument being all the same options and inputs required in their corresponding React Query hook.

The return value of all zsa-react-query hooks will be the same return value of their corresponding React Query hooks.

For further guidance on how to use these hooks, we recommend you look towards the React Query Docs for more information.

Usage

For a basic example of how to use zsa-react-query, lets create a simple, queryable server action.

actions.ts

"use server"

import { createServerAction } from "zsa";
import z from "zod";

export const helloWorldAction = createServerAction()
  .input(
    z.object({
      message: z.string(),
    })
  )
  .handler(async ({ input }) => {
    // sleep for .5 seconds
    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 500))
    // update the message
    return {
      result: "Hello World: " + (input.message || "N/A"),
    }
  })

Querying from the client:

hello-world-example.tsx

"use client"

import { helloWorldAction } from "./actions";
import { useServerActionQuery } from "@/lib/hooks/server-action-hooks";  

export default function HelloWorld() {
  const [input, setInput] = useState("")
  const debouncedInput = useDebounce(input, 300)

  const { isLoading, data } = useServerActionQuery(helloWorldAction, {  
    input: {  
      message: debouncedInput,  
    },  
    queryKey: [debouncedInput],  
  })

  return (
    <Card className="not-prose">
      <CardHeader>
        <CardTitle>Say hello</CardTitle>
        <CardDescription>
          This card refetches your server action as you type
        </CardDescription>
      </CardHeader>
      <CardContent className="flex flex-col gap-4">
        <Input
          placeholder="Message..."
          value={input}
          onChange={(e) => setInput(e.target.value)}
        />
        {isLoading ? 'loading...' : data?.result}
      </CardContent>
    </Card>
  )
}

In the client component:

Import helloWorldAction and the useServerActionQuery hook.
Call useServerActionQuery with the imported action and provide the necessary input and options.
Bind the user input to the server action's input using state and debounce it to avoid excessive requests.
Render different views based on the helloWorldAction's state (isLoading, isSuccess, isError).

Here is the result:

Say hello

This card refetches your server action as you type

As you can see, zsa provides built-in error and loading states and allows easy integration of server actions into your client components.

React Query

Installation

Usage

Say hello

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