Q39: How do config matchers filter Middleware execution paths?
By default, Middleware executes on every request route. The config.matcher array uses regular expression path matching to filter out static assets (_next/static, favicon.ico, images) and target specific API or dashboard paths.
Middleware Config Matcher Pattern
// middleware.js
export const config = {
// Matches all request paths EXCEPT static files, _next, and favicons
matcher: ['/((?!_next/static|_next/image|favicon.ico|.*\\.(?:svg|png|jpg)).*)'],
};💡 Regex matcher excludes static framework files, avoiding unnecessary Edge middleware execution.
Key Takeaways
config.matcherprevents Middleware from executing on static image and asset routes.- Uses path-to-regexp pattern matching syntax.
Knowledge Check
Why is it important to configure matcher rules inside middleware.js?