An Angular route with path: '' consumes no URL segments, so it can provide a default view beneath a parent route—or match the start of every URL when used with the default pathMatch: 'prefix'. For a redirect meant only for the application root, set pathMatch: 'full'. Componentless routes serve a different purpose: they group child routes without creating a component at the parent level.
What an empty-path route does
An Angular route’s path is the URL pattern it matches. An empty path, path: '', consumes no URL segments. It adds a level to the route tree without adding text to the URL; it is not itself a special URL segment. Depending on its configuration, an empty-path route can render a component, contain children, or redirect. Angular’s Route API documents that an empty-path route inherits its parent’s parameters and data.
For example, a child with an empty path can render the default view at /team/11, while another child handles a more specific URL:
const routes: Routes = [
{
path: 'team/:id',
component: TeamComponent,
children: [
{ path: '', component: AllUsersComponent },
{ path: 'user/:name', component: UserComponent },
],
},
];
Here, the empty-path child adds no segment after team/:id. The user/:name child does. The parent and child components render only when the application provides the required outlet configuration.
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How componentless routes group children
A componentless route has child routes but no component at its own level. Use it to group routes that share a URL prefix or route context without instantiating a parent component. Child components render in the outlets configured by the application.
const routes: Routes = [
{
path: 'parent/:id',
children: [
{ path: 'a', component: MainChildComponent },
{ path: 'b', component: OtherChildComponent },
],
},
];
The Route API specifies that a componentless parent’s parameters, data, and resolved data are merged into those of its children. It also documents sharing parent parameters across sibling components, including routes that use primary and auxiliary outlets. This inheritance and merging applies to the documented fields; it does not mean every route field is inherited.
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An empty-path child and a componentless parent are not the same thing. An empty path describes how many URL segments the route consumes; componentless describes whether a component is configured at that route level. They can be combined when a child should render without adding a URL segment.
How redirects and pathMatch work
Set redirectTo to redirect a matching route. A target beginning with / is absolute and starts at the application root. A target without a leading slash is relative to the matched route path. Angular also supports redirect functions, which can return a string or UrlTree (including an asynchronous result) based on route snapshot information available during matching. Angular’s redirect guide describes these forms.
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pathMatch controls how much of the URL path must match the route:
'prefix'matches the beginning of the URL and is the default.'full'requires the entire URL path to match.
An empty path is a prefix of every URL. Therefore, an empty-path redirect using the default prefix strategy can match again after redirecting, causing a loop. For a default redirect intended only for the root URL, use pathMatch: 'full':
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const routes: Routes = [
{ path: '', redirectTo: '/dashboard', pathMatch: 'full' },
{ path: 'dashboard', component: DashboardComponent },
];
Use prefix matching intentionally when the redirect should cover a URL prefix or subtree, such as a legacy path whose trailing segments should be retained. For an exact root redirect, 'full' prevents the empty path from matching URLs beyond the root.
How route order affects the match
Angular checks configured routes in order and uses a first-match-wins strategy. Put specific routes before broader routes, and put wildcard routes last. A broad route placed earlier can prevent a later, more specific route from being considered. Angular’s route-definition guide explains this ordering rule.
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Route order and pathMatch solve different problems: order determines which configured route Angular tries first, while pathMatch determines how much of that route’s path must match. An empty path is not automatically a catch-all component route, but its prefix behavior matters when it is configured as a redirect. A successful parent match also does not guarantee that the full URL is configured: child routes must account for any remaining URL segments, as described in the Route API.
Choose the route shape that fits
| Configuration choice | Consumes URL segments | Parent-level component | Useful for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty-path route with a component | None | Yes | A default child view at its parent URL |
| Componentless parent with child routes | Its configured path segments; child paths may add more | No | Grouping children under a shared prefix or route context |
Empty-path redirect with pathMatch: 'full' |
None, and only matches when the full URL path is empty | No rendered component for the redirect route | Sending the root URL to a default destination |
Redirect using pathMatch: 'prefix' |
Matches the beginning of the URL; trailing segments can remain in the redirect | No rendered component for the redirect route | Redirecting a URL prefix or subtree |
For a dynamic redirect, make decisions only from snapshot information available during route matching. The redirect guide cautions that resolved titles and lazy-loaded components are not accurately known at that stage.
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