Hey there, let's sort out your wildcard route problem step by step. Looking at your provided code, there are a couple of obvious issues that are causing the wildcard functionality to fail, plus some key best practices you need to follow for Angular routing.

First, Let's Fix the Obvious Code Errors #

Your current route configuration has an incomplete component definition, and you're missing the actual wildcard route entirely. Here's the corrected version of your routing module:

import { NgModule } from "@angular/core"; 
import { RouterModule, Route } from "@angular/router"; 
import { CarsListComponent } from "./cars/cars-list/cars-list.component"; 
import { AuthGuard } from "./auth/auth.guard"; 
import { PageNotFoundComponent } from "./shared-module/page-not-found/page-not-found.component"; 
// If you're using a lazy-loaded LoginModule, adjust this import or use loadChildren
import { LoginComponent } from "./login/login.component";

const APP_ROUTES: Route[] = [ 
  // Critical: Login route should NOT have AuthGuard (users need to access it to log in)
  { path: 'login', component: LoginComponent },
  // Redirect empty path to cars (protected by AuthGuard)
  { path: '', pathMatch: 'full', redirectTo: 'cars', canActivate: [AuthGuard] }, 
  // Properly define the cars route with its component
  { path: 'cars', component: CarsListComponent, canActivate: [AuthGuard] }, 
  // Wildcard route - MUST be the LAST route in the array
  { path: '**', component: PageNotFoundComponent }
]; 

@NgModule({
  imports: [RouterModule.forRoot(APP_ROUTES)],
  exports: [RouterModule]
})
export class AppRoutingModule {}

Key Fixes & Explanations #

• Incomplete Component Definition: Your original { path: 'cars', component: <any... line was invalid. You need to explicitly pass the CarsListComponent class here for the route to work correctly.
• Wildcard Route Placement: The path: '**' route has to be the last entry in your route array. Angular matches routes top-to-bottom, so if you put the wildcard before other routes, it'll catch all traffic and your intended routes will never be reached.
• Login Route Permissions: I added a login route without canActivate: [AuthGuard]—this is non-negotiable. If all routes are protected by your auth guard, unlogged-in users can't access the login page, creating a frustrating redirect loop.
• Lazy Loading Alternative: If you want to lazy-load your LoginModule instead of importing the component directly, replace the login route with:

  { path: 'login', loadChildren: () => import('./login/login.module').then(m => m.LoginModule) }
  

Additional Troubleshooting Steps #

If the wildcard still doesn't work after these fixes, check these things:

• Make sure AppRoutingModule is imported into your root AppModule.
• Verify that PageNotFoundComponent is declared in its module (or exported from a shared module if you're using one).
• Test with a non-existent path (like /random-page) to confirm the 404 component loads.
• Check your browser's console for any routing errors that might be blocking the wildcard route from triggering.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Marek Patyna