Nested routes with folders in NextJS - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Nested routes with folders

Start: App Router folder

↓

Create folder for route segment

↓

Add page.tsx inside folder

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Next.js reads folder as nested route

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Render nested page when URL matches

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Repeat for deeper nesting

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End: Nested routes available

Next.js reads folders inside the app directory as nested routes. Each folder with a page.tsx file becomes a route segment, creating nested URLs.

Execution Sample

NextJS

app/
  dashboard/
    page.tsx
    settings/
      page.tsx

This folder structure creates nested routes: /dashboard and /dashboard/settings.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Folder/File Processed	Route Segment Created	URL Path	Rendered Component
1	Read app folder	app/	root	/	Root layout or page if exists
2	Read folder inside app	app/dashboard/	dashboard	/dashboard	dashboard/page.tsx component
3	Read nested folder	app/dashboard/settings/	settings	/dashboard/settings	dashboard/settings/page.tsx component
4	Match URL /dashboard	app/dashboard/page.tsx	dashboard	/dashboard	Render dashboard/page.tsx
5	Match URL /dashboard/settings	app/dashboard/settings/page.tsx	settings	/dashboard/settings	Render dashboard/settings/page.tsx
6	No more folders	-	-	-	Stop reading routes

💡 All folders with page.tsx files processed, nested routes created accordingly.

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 2	After Step 3	Final
currentRoute	/	/dashboard	/dashboard/settings	/dashboard/settings
renderedComponent	root layout/page	dashboard/page.tsx	dashboard/settings/page.tsx	dashboard/settings/page.tsx

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does creating a folder inside app with a page.tsx file create a nested route?

Because Next.js treats each folder with a page.tsx as a route segment, building the URL path from folder names as shown in execution_table rows 2 and 3.

What happens if a folder does not have a page.tsx file?

Next.js will not create a route for that folder segment, so no URL path or component is rendered for it, stopping route nesting at that level.

How does Next.js know which component to render for a nested URL?

It matches the URL path segments to folder names and renders the page.tsx inside the matching folder, as shown in execution_table rows 4 and 5.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what component is rendered at step 5 for URL /dashboard/settings?

A app/page.tsx

B dashboard/page.tsx

C dashboard/settings/page.tsx

D settings/page.tsx

💡 Hint

Check the Rendered Component column at step 5 in execution_table.

At which step does Next.js create the route segment for /dashboard?

A Step 1

B Step 2

C Step 3

D Step 4

💡 Hint

Look at the Route Segment Created column in execution_table.

If the folder app/dashboard/settings/ did not have a page.tsx file, what would happen to the nested route?

A The /dashboard/settings route would not exist

B Next.js would render dashboard/page.tsx for /dashboard/settings

C Next.js would throw an error

D The /dashboard/settings route would render an empty page

💡 Hint

Refer to key_moments about folders without page.tsx files.

Concept Snapshot

Next.js nested routes use folders inside the app directory.
Each folder with a page.tsx file creates a route segment.
URL path matches folder names in order.
Nested folders create nested routes.
No page.tsx means no route segment.
This builds clean, nested URLs automatically.

Full Transcript

In Next.js, nested routes are created by organizing folders inside the app directory. Each folder that contains a page.tsx file becomes a segment of the URL path. For example, a folder named dashboard with a page.tsx inside creates the /dashboard route. If inside dashboard there is another folder settings with its own page.tsx, it creates the nested route /dashboard/settings. Next.js reads these folders step-by-step, matching URL paths to folder names and rendering the corresponding page.tsx components. If a folder does not have a page.tsx file, Next.js does not create a route for that segment. This folder-based routing system helps build nested URLs easily and clearly.