How do you create a route in the App Router?
Interviewer Expectations for this Question
01
Core Competency
Assesses fundamental understanding of Next.js conventions, runtime behavior, and memory/performance considerations.
02
Evaluation Criteria
Hiring managers look for precision, avoidance of ambiguous jargon, and ability to explain trade-offs under real production conditions.
Comprehensive Model Answer
Verified Solution
In the App Router, you create routes by adding files to the app directory. Each file corresponds to a route, and you can create nested routes by creating subdirectories.
app/
├── page.js // Home page
├── about/
│ └── page.js // About page
└── blog/
├── page.js // Blog index page
└── [slug]/
└── page.js // Dynamic blog post page
Candidate Response Strategy & Interview Tips
- Start with a concise one-sentence summary: Deliver a direct, confident answer first before expanding into nuances.
- Demonstrate real-world trade-offs: Discuss where this approach excels and when you would avoid it in production systems.
- Discuss complexity & edge cases: Proactively explain time/space complexity or boundary conditions (null values, scale limits).
- Prepare for interviewer follow-ups: Technical hiring panels frequently probe deeper into concurrency, backward compatibility, or alternative libraries.