As mobile applications grow, navigation often becomes difficult to maintain. Large createStackNavigator configurations spread across files, and adding a screen means editing several places. Expo Router introduces file-based routing, making application structure simpler and more predictable.

Built on top of React Navigation, Expo Router has become the recommended navigation solution for modern Expo projects.

File-based routing

Each screen is a file. The folder structure is the route table:

app/
  _layout.tsx        → root layout
  index.tsx          → /
  profile.tsx        → /profile
  posts/
    [id].tsx         → /posts/123

Navigation becomes type-safe and link-based, like the web:

import { Link } from 'expo-router';

export default function Home() {
  return <Link href="/posts/42">Open post 42</Link>;
}

There is no central config to keep in sync — adding a file adds a route.

Nested layouts

Authentication flows, bottom tabs, stacks, and modals are all expressed as layouts. A tab bar is just a _layout.tsx inside a folder:

// app/(tabs)/_layout.tsx
import { Tabs } from 'expo-router';

export default function TabsLayout() {
  return (
    <Tabs>
      <Tabs.Screen name="index" options={{ title: 'Home' }} />
      <Tabs.Screen name="settings" options={{ title: 'Settings' }} />
    </Tabs>
  );
}

Route groups like (tabs) and (auth) let you apply different layouts without changing the URL — keeping protected and public sections cleanly separated.

Better developer experience

Deep linking, TypeScript support, and URL-based navigation work out of the box. Programmatic navigation reads naturally:

import { router } from 'expo-router';

router.push('/posts/42');
router.replace('/login');
router.back();

Conclusion

Expo Router simplifies navigation without sacrificing flexibility. Its file-based approach keeps even large React Native applications organized: routes are discoverable from the folder tree, layouts compose cleanly, and deep linking comes for free. For new Expo projects, it is the default we reach for.