History API — Complete Guide
History API — Complete Guide: free step-by-step lesson with examples, common mistakes, and interview tips — part of JavaScript Tutorial on Toolliyo Academy.
On this page
JavaScript Tutorial · Lesson 59 of 100
History API
Basics ✓ → Objects & data ✓ → Async & DOM ✓ → Advanced → Tools → Projects
Advanced · 4 — Production skills · ~10 min · JS HTML DOM & Web APIs
What is this?
history.pushState and popstate let single-page apps change the URL without full page reload.
Why should you care?
React Router and others use this for back button support in SPAs.
See it live — copy this example
Paste into an HTML file or the browser console (F12). Use Run below when the live editor is available.
history.pushState({ page: 1 }, "", "/dashboard");
window.addEventListener("popstate", (e) => {
console.log("Back/forward", e.state);
});Run Example »
Edit the code below and click Run to see the result in Toolliyo’s live editor.
What happened?
- pushState updates address bar.
- popstate fires when user clicks browser back.
Practice next
- pushState to /dashboard and watch address bar.
- Click browser back and log popstate state.
- Compare with location.hash routing.
- replaceState instead of pushState when correcting URL without new history entry.
- Sync a tab UI with history state object { tab: "settings" }.
Remember
pushState / replaceState popstate for back button Foundation of client routing
ScriptVerse SPA routing
Admin panel changes URL to /users/42 without reload while showing user detail view.
Outcome: History API enables shareable deep links in single-page ScriptVerse apps.
Interview prep for this lesson
Practice these questions aloud after reading—each links to a full structured answer.
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