Problem Statement
What is the purpose of providesTags in RTK Query?
Explanation
providesTags is used in query endpoints to define which cache tags the endpoint provides, allowing RTK Query to track what data each query has fetched for intelligent cache invalidation. When a mutation invalidates certain tags using invalidatesTags, all queries that provide those tags will automatically refetch their data. This creates a declarative relationship between mutations and queries without manual refetch logic, and tags can be static strings or dynamic functions based on query results.
