Middleware - Route Blocking Example

This middleware runs before every request and checks the incoming URL.
If the user tries to access the "/blocked" route, the middleware intercepts the request and immediately redirects them back to the homepage ("/").

How it works:
Next.js inspects the request pathname
If pathname === "/blocked", the middleware returns a redirect response
The user never reaches the original page

This pattern is useful for:

• Protecting restricted routes
• Redirecting users based on auth or roles
• Blocking deprecated or disabled pages
• Handling simple access rules at the edge