diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f602340..7170cb8 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -140,18 +140,17 @@ import { authMiddleware } from '@descope/nextjs-sdk/server'
 export default authMiddleware({
 	// The Descope project ID to use for authentication
 	// Defaults to process.env.DESCOPE_PROJECT_ID
-	projectId: 'your-descope-project-id'
+	projectId: 'your-descope-project-id',
 
 	// The URL to redirect to if the user is not authenticated
 	// Defaults to process.env.SIGN_IN_ROUTE or '/sign-in' if not provided
 	// NOTE: In case it contains query parameters that exist in the original URL, they will override the original query parameters. e.g. if the original URL is /page?param1=1&param2=2 and the redirect URL is /sign-in?param1=3, the final redirect URL will be /sign-in?param1=3&param2=2
-	redirectUrl?: string
+	redirectUrl?: string,
 
-	// An array of public routes that do not require authentication
-	// In addition to the default public routes:
-	// - process.env.SIGN_IN_ROUTE or /sign-in if not provided
-	// - process.env.SIGN_UP_ROUTE or /sign-up if not provided
-	publicRoutes?: string[]
+	// These are the public and private routes in your app. Read more about how to use these below.
+	publicRoutes?: string[],
+	privateRoutes?: string[],
+	// If you having privateRoutes and publicRoutes defined at the same time, privateRoutes will be ignored.
 })
 
 export const config = {
@@ -159,6 +158,41 @@ export const config = {
 }
 ```
 
+##### Public and Private Route Definitions
+
+- **All routes are private by default.**
+- **`publicRoutes`:** Use this to specify which routes do not require authentication. If specified, only these routes and the default public routes will be public.
+- **`privateRoutes`:** Use this to specify which routes require authentication. If specified, only these routes will be private, and all other routes will be public.
+- **Conflict Handling:** If both `publicRoutes` and `privateRoutes` are provided, `privateRoutes` will be ignored, and a warning will be logged.
+
+This setup ensures that you can clearly define which routes in your application require authentication and which do not, while providing a mechanism to handle potential misconfigurations gracefully.
+
+###### Public Routes
+
+- **Description:** An array of public routes that do not require authentication.
+- **Configuration:** Use `publicRoutes` to specify routes that don't require authentication.
+- **Additional Defaults:** In addition to the routes you specify, the following default public routes are included:
+  - `process.env.SIGN_IN_ROUTE` or `/sign-in` if not provided
+  - `process.env.SIGN_UP_ROUTE` or `/sign-up` if not provided
+- **Example:**
+  ```typescript
+  const options = {
+  	publicRoutes: ['/home', '/about']
+  };
+  ```
+
+###### Private Routes
+
+- **Description:** An array of private routes that require authentication.
+- **Configuration:** Use `privateRoutes` to specify routes that require authentication. All other routes will be considered public.
+- **Conflict Handling:** If both `publicRoutes` and `privateRoutes` are defined at the same time, `privateRoutes` will be ignored, and a warning will be logged.
+- **Example:**
+  ```typescript
+  const options = {
+  	privateRoutes: ['/dashboard', '/profile']
+  };
+  ```
+
 ##### Read session information in server side
 
 use the `session()` helper to read session information in Server Components and Route handlers.
diff --git a/src/server/authMiddleware.ts b/src/server/authMiddleware.ts
index afcd302..4ae4b70 100644
--- a/src/server/authMiddleware.ts
+++ b/src/server/authMiddleware.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@ type MiddlewareOptions = {
 	// - process.env.SIGN_IN_ROUTE or /sign-in if not provided
 	// - process.env.SIGN_UP_ROUTE or /sign-up if not provided
 	publicRoutes?: string[];
+
+	// An array of private routes that require authentication
+	// If privateRoutes is defined, routes not listed in this array will default to public routes
+	privateRoutes?: string[];
 };
 
 const getSessionJwt = (req: NextRequest): string | undefined => {
@@ -40,13 +44,34 @@ const getSessionJwt = (req: NextRequest): string | undefined => {
 	return undefined;
 };
 
-const isPublicRoute = (req: NextRequest, options: MiddlewareOptions) => {
+const isPublicRoute = (
+	req: NextRequest,
+	publicRoutes: string[] = [],
+	privateRoutes: string[] = []
+) => {
 	const isDefaultPublicRoute = Object.values(DEFAULT_PUBLIC_ROUTES).includes(
 		req.nextUrl.pathname
 	);
-	const isPublic = options.publicRoutes?.includes(req.nextUrl.pathname);
 
-	return isDefaultPublicRoute || isPublic;
+	if (publicRoutes.length > 0 && privateRoutes.length > 0) {
+		console.warn(
+			'Both publicRoutes and privateRoutes are defined. Ignoring privateRoutes.'
+		);
+		return isDefaultPublicRoute || publicRoutes.includes(req.nextUrl.pathname);
+	}
+
+	if (publicRoutes.length > 0) {
+		return isDefaultPublicRoute || publicRoutes.includes(req.nextUrl.pathname);
+	}
+
+	if (privateRoutes.length > 0) {
+		return (
+			isDefaultPublicRoute || !privateRoutes.includes(req.nextUrl.pathname)
+		);
+	}
+
+	// If no routes are provided, all routes are private
+	return isDefaultPublicRoute;
 };
 
 const addSessionToHeadersIfExists = (
@@ -83,7 +108,7 @@ const createAuthMiddleware =
 			}).validateJwt(jwt);
 		} catch (err) {
 			console.debug('Auth middleware, Failed to validate JWT', err);
-			if (!isPublicRoute(req, options)) {
+			if (!isPublicRoute(req, options.publicRoutes, options.privateRoutes)) {
 				const redirectUrl = options.redirectUrl || DEFAULT_PUBLIC_ROUTES.signIn;
 				const url = req.nextUrl.clone();
 				// Create a URL object for redirectUrl. 'http://example.com' is just a placeholder.