Why add a catch-all 404 route in React?
To handle invalid URLs gracefully. Without it, invalid URLs show a blank page. A catch-all 404 shows a not-found message, which is much better UX and signals that the URL does not match any page.
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More FAQs in Structuring Route-Based Screens in a React App
One page component per route, kept thin as a coordinator, with nested routes for shared layouts, routes grouped by feature, protected routes for auth, and a catch-all 404 plus error boundaries. Real logic lives in feature components and hooks.
Because pages should coordinate, not hold all the logic. They compose feature components and manage page-level state, while the real logic lives in feature components and hooks. This keeps pages maintainable and components reusable.
Use nested routes with a layout component as the parent and pages as children. The matched child renders in the Outlet, and the layout stays mounted across navigations, preserving its state.
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