What are route groups?

Route Groups in Next.js are a way to logically group routes without affecting the URL. They let you bring order to the app/ structure without changing page addresses.

In other words:

a route group is a folder in parentheses that exists only for the developer, not for the user.

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#What route groups look like

A route group is a folder whose name is in parentheses:

The (auth) folder never appears in the URL.

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#Why route groups are needed

#1. Logical organization of the project

You can group routes by meaning:

• authentication
• marketing
• admin panel
• the public part

At the same time, URLs stay clean and understandable.

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#2. Different layouts for the same URL levels

Route groups are often used to:

• have different layouts
• for pages at the same URL level
• but with a different UI structure

Example:

Both groups can contain a / page, but with a different layout (via nested segments).

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#3. Isolating layouts and logic

Each route group can have its own:

• layout
• loading
• error
• middleware logic
• providers

This is convenient when:

• different parts of the site "live their own life"
• you don't want to mix code

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#4. Clean and predictable URLs

Route groups let you:

• avoid adding technical segments to the address
• avoid creating /auth/login when you want /login
• keep a nice link structure

The URL is designed for the user, the folders are for the developer.

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#Important features

• (group) never appears in the URL
• layout.tsx can be used inside a group
• groups do not affect URL nesting
• can be combined with nested layouts

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#An example with layout

Here:

• /login uses the auth layout
• / uses the main layout
• URLs stay clean

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#Summary

Route groups are needed to:

• logically organize routes
• apply different layouts
• keep the URL uncluttered
• isolate logic and providers

In short: route groups are an architectural tool for order in the project, not for user navigation.