Redirect Rule Generator

About Redirect Rule Generator

This tool generates HTTP redirect rules for Apache and Nginx web servers. It creates properly formatted redirect directives using the specified source path and target URL. The tool supports both 301 (permanent) and 302 (temporary) redirect status codes and escapes special regex characters in paths.

It is useful for site migrations, URL structure updates, removing or consolidating pages, fixing broken links, redirecting www to non-www (or vice versa), enforcing HTTPS, and redirecting deleted content to relevant alternatives.

HTTP Redirect Status Codes

HTTP redirects use 3xx status codes to indicate URL changes:

Common Redirect Status Codes:

301 Moved Permanently
  - Indicates permanent URL change
  - Search engines update index to new URL
  - SEO value (link equity) is transferred
  - Browser may cache the redirect
  - Use for: site migrations, permanent moves

302 Found (Temporary Redirect)
  - Indicates temporary URL change
  - Search engines keep original URL indexed
  - SEO value stays with original URL
  - Browser requests original URL next time
  - Use for: maintenance, A/B testing, temporary moves

307 Temporary Redirect
  - Like 302 but preserves HTTP method
  - POST requests remain POST (not GET)
  - HTTP/1.1 replacement for 302
  - Use for: temporary API redirects

308 Permanent Redirect
  - Like 301 but preserves HTTP method
  - HTTP/1.1 replacement for 301
  - Use for: permanent API endpoint moves

Less Common:
  300 Multiple Choices - Several options available
  303 See Other - Use GET for response
  305 Use Proxy - Deprecated, security concerns

Redirect Type Comparison

Apache Redirect Syntax

Apache Redirect Directives:

Basic Redirect (mod_alias):
  Redirect 301 /old-page https://example.com/new-page
  Redirect 302 /temp https://example.com/alternate

  Syntax: Redirect [status] [URI-path] [target-URL]

Redirect with Regex (mod_rewrite):
  RewriteEngine On
  RewriteRule ^old-page$ https://example.com/new-page [R=301,L]

  RewriteRule ^products/(.*)$ https://example.com/items/$1 [R=301,L]

  Syntax: RewriteRule [pattern] [substitution] [flags]

Common Flags:
  [R=301]     - 301 permanent redirect
  [R=302]     - 302 temporary redirect
  [L]         - Last rule (stop processing)
  [NC]        - No case (case-insensitive)
  [QSA]       - Query string append

Redirect www to non-www:
  RewriteEngine On
  RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.example\.com [NC]
  RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://example.com/$1 [R=301,L]

Redirect HTTP to HTTPS:
  RewriteEngine On
  RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
  RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]

Redirect old domain to new domain:
  RewriteEngine On
  RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^olddomain\.com [NC,OR]
  RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.olddomain\.com [NC]
  RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://newdomain.com/$1 [R=301,L]

Nginx Redirect Syntax

Nginx Redirect Directives:

Using rewrite directive:
  rewrite ^/old-page$ https://example.com/new-page permanent;
  rewrite ^/temp$ https://example.com/alternate redirect;

  Syntax: rewrite [regex] [replacement] [flag];

  Flags:
    permanent - 301 Moved Permanently
    redirect  - 302 Found
    break     - Stop processing rewrite
    last      - Continue with next location

Using return directive (simpler):
  location /old-page {
    return 301 https://example.com/new-page;
  }

  location /temp {
    return 302 https://example.com/alternate;
  }

Redirect www to non-www:
  server {
    listen 80;
    server_name www.example.com;
    return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;
  }

Redirect HTTP to HTTPS:
  server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com;
    return 301 https://$server_name$request_uri;
  }

Redirect with regex capture:
  location ~ ^/products/(.*)$ {
    return 301 https://example.com/items/$1;
  }

Redirect entire directory:
  location /old-folder/ {
    return 301 https://example.com/new-folder/$request_uri;
  }

Common Use Cases

Redirect Rule Examples

Example 1: Simple Page Move
  From: /old-page
  To:   https://example.com/new-page

  Apache: Redirect 301 /old-page https://example.com/new-page
  Nginx:  rewrite ^/old-page$ https://example.com/new-page permanent;

Example 2: Blog URL Restructure
  From: /blog/post-title
  To:   https://example.com/articles/post-title

  Apache: Redirect 301 /blog/post-title https://example.com/articles/post-title
  Nginx:  rewrite ^/blog/post-title$ https://example.com/articles/post-title permanent;

Example 3: Product Category Move
  From: /products/electronics/phones
  To:   https://example.com/phones

  Apache: Redirect 301 /products/electronics/phones https://example.com/phones
  Nginx:  rewrite ^/products/electronics/phones$ https://example.com/phones permanent;

Example 4: Temporary Maintenance
  From: /checkout
  To:   https://example.com/maintenance

  Apache: Redirect 302 /checkout https://example.com/maintenance
  Nginx:  rewrite ^/checkout$ https://example.com/maintenance redirect;

Example 5: With Query String
  From: /search?q=hello
  To:   https://example.com/search/hello

  Apache: RewriteRule ^search$ https://example.com/search/%1 [R=301,L]
  Nginx:  rewrite ^/search\?q=(.*)$ https://example.com/search/$1 permanent;

Example 6: Domain Migration
  From: /
  To:   https://newdomain.com/

  Apache: RedirectMatch 301 ^(.*)$ https://newdomain.com$1
  Nginx:  rewrite ^(.*)$ https://newdomain.com$1 permanent;

Redirect Best Practices

• Use 301 for permanent moves: Ensures SEO value transfer and search engine index updates.
• Avoid redirect chains: Always redirect source directly to final destination.
• Update internal links: Don't rely on redirects for internal navigation.
• Test before deploying: Verify redirects work correctly in staging environment.
• Monitor 404 errors: Use analytics to identify missed redirect opportunities.
• Document redirect rules: Keep a record of all redirects for future reference.
• Consider mobile users: Ensure redirects work across all device types.
• Check redirect loops: Verify A→B doesn't create B→A circular redirect.

Common Redirect Mistakes

• Redirect chains: A→B→C instead of A→C directly. Causes slower load times and SEO loss.
• Redirect loops: A→B→A creates infinite loop. Browser shows "too many redirects" error.
• Using 302 for permanent moves: Loses SEO value and confuses search engines.
• Forgetting to update canonical URLs: Canonical should point to preferred URL.
• Redirecting all 404s to homepage: Creates soft 404s; better to redirect to relevant content.
• Not escaping special characters: Paths with regex chars (. * + ?) need proper escaping.
• Ignoring query strings: Query parameters may be lost without proper handling.

Testing Redirects

Testing Methods:

1. cURL Command Line:
   curl -I https://example.com/old-page

   Response headers show:
   HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
   Location: https://example.com/new-page

2. Browser DevTools:
   - Open Network tab
   - Navigate to old URL
   - Check status code and Location header

3. Online Tools:
   - httpstatus.io
   - Redirect Path (Chrome extension)
   - WhereGoes.com

4. Google Search Console:
   - Check Coverage report for redirect errors
   - Use URL Inspection tool

Expected Response Headers:
  HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
  Location: https://example.com/new-page
  Cache-Control: no-cache

  HTTP/1.1 302 Found
  Location: https://example.com/temporary
  Cache-Control: no-store