​
When to Use Public Routes

Use public routes for:
  • Public data access
  • Authentication endpoints
  • Health checks
  • Public product information
  • Public API documentation
  • Public search functionality

​
Creating Public Routes

import { router, publicProcedure } from '../lib/trpc';
import { z } from 'zod';

export const publicRouter = router({
  // Simple health check
  healthCheck: publicProcedure.query(() => {
    return { status: 'ok' };
  }),

  // Public data with input validation
  getPublicData: publicProcedure
    .input(z.object({ id: z.string() }))
    .query(async ({ input }) => {
      return { data: 'public data' };
    }),

  // Public mutation
  createPublicItem: publicProcedure
    .input(z.object({ name: z.string() }))
    .mutation(async ({ input }) => {
      return { success: true, item: input };
    }),
});

​
Example: Health Check Endpoint

// apps/server/src/routers/health.ts
import { router, publicProcedure } from '../lib/trpc';

export const healthRouter = router({
  check: publicProcedure.query(() => {
    return {
      status: 'ok',
      timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
      version: process.env.VERSION,
    };
  }),
});

// apps/server/src/routers/search.ts
import { router, publicProcedure } from '../lib/trpc';
import { z } from 'zod';

export const searchRouter = router({
  search: publicProcedure
    .input(z.object({
      query: z.string(),
      limit: z.number().optional(),
    }))
    .query(async ({ input }) => {
      // Implement your search logic here
      return {
        results: [],
        total: 0,
      };
    }),
});

​
Client Usage

// In your React component
function PublicDataComponent() {
  const { data, isLoading } = trpc.getPublicData.useQuery({ id: '123' });
  
  return (
    <div>
      {isLoading ? 'Loading...' : JSON.stringify(data)}
    </div>
  );
}

​
Best Practices for Public Routes

  1. Input Validation
    • Always validate input using Zod
    • Define clear input schemas
    • Handle edge cases
  2. Rate Limiting
    • Implement rate limiting for public endpoints
    • Consider using a middleware
  3. Caching
    • Cache frequently accessed public data
    • Use appropriate cache headers
  4. Error Handling
    • Return meaningful error messages
    • Use appropriate HTTP status codes

​
Security Considerations

Even though these routes are public, you should still:
  1. Validate all input data
  2. Implement rate limiting
  3. Sanitize output data
  4. Monitor for abuse
  5. Use HTTPS only

​
Next Steps