404, Nginx, Frontend, Angular

Solving 404 Errors with Hash-Based Routing in Angular Applications

This title emphasizes the issue of 404 errors encountered on the server side and how hash-based routing in Angular can effectively address this problem. It sets the stage for the reader to understand the significance of hash-based routing as a solution for managing client-side routing and preventing server-side errors.

How Hash-Based Routing Works
Hash-based routing structures URLs in the following format :

http://example.com/#/path/to/route

The # symbol separates the base URL from the fragment identifier, which typically represents the application's route or state. When a user navigates to a URL with a hash-based route, the browser internally updates the document's location without sending a request to the server for the portion of the URL after the # symbol.

Implementing Hash-Based Routing in Angular

import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { RouterModule, Routes } from '@angular/router';

const routes: Routes = [
  // Define your application routes here
];

@NgModule({
  imports: [
    RouterModule.forRoot(routes, { useHash: true }) // Configure to use hash-based routing
  ],
  exports: [RouterModule]
})
export class AppRoutingModule { }

Angular 17

import { ApplicationConfig } from '@angular/core';
import { provideRouter, withHashLocation } from '@angular/router';

import { routes } from './app.routes';
import { provideHttpClient } from '@angular/common/http';

export const appConfig: ApplicationConfig = {
  providers: [provideRouter(routes,withHashLocation()),provideHttpClient()]
};

Benefits of Hash-Based Routing

• Simplified Server Configuration :
  Hash-based routing eliminates the need for server-side route configuration or URL rewriting rules, as the server always serves the main HTML file regardless of the route specified in the fragment identifier.

• Consistent Client-Side Behavior :
  Hash-based routing ensures consistent client-side routing behavior across different server environments, preventing 404 errors for routes handled by the client-side router.

Drawbacks of Hash-Based Routing

• Less Clean URLs :
  Hash-based URLs are less aesthetically pleasing and not as SEO-friendly as traditional URLs.

• Limited Use Cases :
  Hash-based routing may not be suitable for applications requiring clean, semantic URLs or specific SEO requirements.