I’m new to Express and trying to understand why my wildcard route is failing.
app.get("/about", (req, res) => {
res.send("You are on the about page");
});
app.get("*", (req, res) => {
res.send("This path does not exist");
});
The /about route works as expected, but I’m encountering an error with the wildcard route, even though it was shown functioning in a tutorial.
Error: node_modules\path-to-RegExp\dist\index.js:73
throw new TypeError(`Missing parameter name at ${i}: ${DEBUG_URL}`);
^
TypeError: Missing parameter name at 1: https://git.new/pathToRegexpError
I’ve attempted to define the route using app.all("*", ...) to address the 404, but that hasn’t resolved the issue either. What steps should I take to correctly set up a catch-all route?
That error usually means there’s a messed up route definition somewhere else in your code. The wildcard syntax you showed looks fine, but the TypeError about missing parameter names happens when you have malformed route patterns. Look for routes with just /: and no parameter name, or routes with unescaped special characters. Also, make sure you put the wildcard route at the very end - Express processes routes in order. The path-to-regexp error means Express is choking on one of your route patterns when it starts up, probably not the wildcard route itself.
check for routes with dynamic params that might conflict. middleware or other route handlers can mess with wildcard routes too. try moving your * route to the bottom of your file and see if that helps.
I’ve encountered this issue as well, and it can be quite frustrating. The error you’re seeing typically indicates a faulty route elsewhere in your application that disrupts Express during startup. Carefully examine your code for incomplete route definitions, such as app.get('/user/:'), where a parameter name is missing. Additionally, check for any unescaped special characters in your routes. While your wildcard route appears correct, Express may not reach it if a broken route causes the application to crash. To narrow down the problem, consider commenting out all other routes temporarily to test the wildcard route individually; this should help identify the problematic route causing the path-to-regexp error.