What is a Wildcard Route in Angular
💡 Concept Name
Wildcard Route – A special Angular route that matches any undefined path and typically routes to a 404 or fallback component.
📘 Quick Intro
In Angular, the wildcard route is used to catch all undefined routes. It ensures that when a user enters an invalid URL, they are shown a custom Page Not Found instead of a blank screen.
🧠 Analogy / Short Story
Think of the Angular router as a receptionist at an office. If someone asks for a person who doesn’t exist, the receptionist politely redirects them to a help desk (404 page) rather than letting them wander aimlessly.
🔧 Technical Explanation
- 🌐 Wildcard Path: Defined using
path: '**'. - 🎯 Fallback Component: Points to a NotFoundComponent or similar.
- 📍 Last Route: Must be placed at the end of the routes array.
- 🚫 Matches Anything: Catches any path not matched by earlier defined routes.
- 🔒 No Guards Applied: Wildcard routes usually aren’t guarded, but can be if needed.
🎯 Purpose & Use Case
- ✅ Display a 404 Not Found page for unmatched routes.
- ✅ Guide users back to valid parts of the app when they mistype URLs.
- ✅ Log unexpected routes for analytics or debugging.
💻 Real Code Example
// app-routing.module.ts
import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { RouterModule, Routes } from '@angular/router';
import { HomeComponent } from './home/home.component';
import { NotFoundComponent } from './not-found/not-found.component';
const routes: Routes = [
{ path: '', component: HomeComponent },
{ path: '**', component: NotFoundComponent }
];
@NgModule({
imports: [RouterModule.forRoot(routes)],
exports: [RouterModule]
})
export class AppRoutingModule { }
❓ Interview Q&A
Q1: What is a wildcard route in Angular?
A: It's a route with path '**' that matches any URL not matched by previous routes.
Q2: Where should the wildcard route be placed?
A: Always at the end of the routes array.
Q3: What component is typically used for wildcard routes?
A: A NotFoundComponent or a custom 404 handler.
Q4: Can a wildcard route have guards?
A: Yes, though it’s uncommon.
Q5: Why is the wildcard route important?
A: It ensures users receive feedback for unknown routes rather than seeing a blank page.
📝 MCQs
Q1. What does the wildcard route path look like?
- *
- /*
- **
- !
Q2. What is the purpose of a wildcard route?
- Show login
- Redirect to root
- Handle unknown URLs
- Trigger events
Q3. What component should you use for a wildcard route?
- HomeComponent
- AppComponent
- NotFoundComponent
- DashboardComponent
Q4. Where should wildcard route be placed?
- First
- Middle
- Anywhere
- Last in the routes array
Q5. Can wildcard routes be guarded?
- No
- Yes
- Only in lazy modules
- Only with role checks
Q6. What happens if wildcard route is placed first?
- It is ignored
- It causes error
- It catches all routes
- It disables routing
Q7. What does a wildcard route prevent?
- Slow routing
- Guards
- Nested routing
- Blank page on unknown route
Q8. Wildcard path syntax in Angular is:
- /
- **
- 404
- *.*
Q9. Angular router uses wildcard route to:
- Redirect default route
- Define homepage
- Match unmatched routes
- Load modules
Q10. What kind of routes does wildcard route catch?
- All child routes
- Default route
- Unmatched or undefined
- Lazy-loaded routes only
💡 Bonus Insight
You can combine wildcard routes with redirect strategies. For example, use redirectTo: '/home' instead of a 404 component if you want to auto-guide users to the main entry point.
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