Route Wildcards

Route wildcards allow pattern-based routing, where a single handler can match multiple URLs.

Overview

Pattern based routes are supported as well. For instance, the asterisk * is used as a wildcard, and will match any combination of characters.

This is useful when you want to create catch-all routes, handle legacy URL structures, or serve static assets dynamically.

Key Concepts

• * Wildcard: The * character acts as a wildcard within route strings.
• Regex Support: Under the hood, Nest uses the path-to-regexp package (used by Express), which means characters like ?, +, *, and () have regex-like meanings.
• Specificity: Wildcard routes should usually be placed at the bottom of your controller. Nest resolves routes top-to-bottom, so a generic wildcard at the top might accidentally intercept specific routes below it.

Code Examples

A Simple Wildcard Route

import { Controller, Get } from '@nestjs/common';

@Controller('assets')
export class AssetsController {
  
  // This will match /assets/abcd, /assets/123, /assets/anything
  @Get('ab*cd')
  findAll() {
    return 'This route uses a wildcard';
  }
}

Catch-All Routes

Often used for returning a custom 404 page, or for single-page applications (SPAs) where you want to serve index.html for any unmatched route and let the frontend router handle it.

import { Controller, Get } from '@nestjs/common';

@Controller()
export class AppController {
  
  @Get('specific-route')
  getSpecific() {
    return 'Specific data';
  }

  // CATCH ALL: Must be placed at the bottom!
  // Matches literally any GET request that wasn't caught above.
  @Get('*')
  catchAll() {
    return 'This acts as a fallback for any unmatched GET request';
  }
}

Best Practices

• Route Ordering Matters: The order in which methods are defined in a controller matters. If you have @Get(':id') above @Get('active'), the :id route will catch the request for /active (treating “active” as the ID). Always put static routes first, parameter routes second, and wildcards last.
• Avoid Overusing Wildcards: Wildcards can make routing unpredictable and difficult to debug. Prefer exact paths or explicit route parameters (:id) over complex wildcard matching whenever possible.