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Use HTTP 302 for a temporary redirect and HTTP 301 for a move that should be treated as permanent. In Apache, use Redirect for a fixed path mapping and mod_rewrite when you need conditions or regular expressions. In Nginx, use return for a fixed destination and rewrite for pattern-based changes. Test the old URL, status code, Location header, path, and query string before deploying a permanent rule.
Choose the redirect status first
A redirect is an HTTP response that tells the client to request another URL. The server sends a status code and a Location header; the browser, crawler, API client, or other user agent then follows that location according to its own rules.
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| Use case | HTTP status | Apache | Nginx |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temporary test, campaign, maintenance page, or short-lived routing change | 302 | Redirect temp, omitted Redirect status, or [R=302,L] |
return 302 or rewrite ... redirect |
| Permanent URL, domain, or protocol move | 301 | Redirect permanent or [R=301,L] |
return 301 or rewrite ... permanent |
| Temporary method-preserving redirect where the client must not change the request method | 307 | Use an explicit rewrite status if your application requires it | return 307 |
| See-other response, commonly after a form submission | 303 | Use an explicit rewrite status if appropriate | return 303 |
Apache’s Redirect directive defaults to a temporary 302 when no status is supplied. Apache’s mod_rewrite R flag also defaults to 302. Nginx’s rewrite directive returns 302 with the redirect flag. A 301 is a declaration that the old address has moved permanently, so browsers, crawlers, caches, bookmarks, and integrations may retain or reuse it. Do not use 301 merely to test a rule that you expect to change soon.
Apache: use the simplest directive that fits
Apache can apply redirects in the main server configuration, a virtual host, a directory context, or an .htaccess file, depending on the directive and your hosting permissions. A fixed mapping is easier to audit with mod_alias‘s Redirect. Conditions, regular expressions, header checks, and more involved transformations belong in mod_rewrite.
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Permanent redirect for one path with Redirect
Put this in the relevant virtual host or server configuration when /old-page should always lead to the new URL:
Redirect permanent "/old-page" "https://www.example.com/new-page"permanent sends HTTP 301. The source path is matched by Apache and the destination is returned to the client. This form is preferable to a rewrite rule when there is no condition or pattern to evaluate.
Temporary redirect for one path
Use temp when the mapping is deliberately short-lived:
Redirect temp "/campaign" "https://www.example.com/campaign-preview"Leaving out the status also produces a temporary 302:
Redirect "/campaign" "https://www.example.com/campaign-preview"Keep the temporary rule while you test the destination, then change it to a 301 only after the final URL and behavior are confirmed.
Regex or conditional redirects with mod_rewrite
Enable the rewrite engine and use a regular expression when many old URLs share a structure:
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RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule "^/old/(.*)$" "https://www.example.com/new/$1" [R=301,L]The capture group (.*) is inserted at $1. Replace 301 with 302 while testing. Apache documents that an external redirect should almost always use R together with L. Without L, later rules can process the redirect again, creating an invalid URI warning, an unexpected second redirect, or a loop.
In a server or virtual-host context, the pattern commonly includes the leading slash. In per-directory or .htaccess context, Apache removes the directory prefix before matching, so the pattern normally does not start with /:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule "^old/(.*)$" "https://www.example.com/new/$1" [R=302,L]Check the context before copying a pattern. A rule that is correct in a virtual host can fail to match in .htaccess solely because of that slash difference.
Redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS
For a straightforward HTTP-to-HTTPS migration, Apache’s server configuration can use a dedicated port-80 virtual host:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName www.example.com
Redirect permanent "/" "https://www.example.com/"
</VirtualHost>The source slash covers every path under that host, and the relative path is retained by Apache when it constructs the redirect. If you need conditions or host-based logic, use mod_rewrite instead.
When only .htaccess is available, Apache documents this pattern:
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RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
RewriteRule "^(.*)" "https://%{SERVER_NAME}$1" [R=301,L]On a load-balanced or reverse-proxy deployment, the origin server may see every connection as HTTP even when the visitor used HTTPS. In that design, test a trusted X-Forwarded-Proto value supplied by the controlled proxy rather than relying on %{HTTPS}. Only trust a forwarding header that your proxy overwrites; accepting a client-supplied value can let requests bypass the intended check or create a redirect loop.
Control Apache query strings deliberately
When a rewrite changes the query string, Apache’s flags determine what happens to the original parameters. QSA (query-string append) preserves the old query string and appends it to the new one. QSD (query-string discard) removes the original parameters.
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RewriteRule "^/search$" "/results?source=redirect" [R=302,QSD,L]That rule sends /search?term=apache to /results?source=redirect, not to a URL that also contains term=apache. Use QSA when retaining the incoming parameters is intentional:
RewriteRule "^/old-search$" "/results?source=old-search" [R=302,QSA,L]Without an explicit decision, tracking parameters, authentication state, or duplicate keys can be copied to a destination where they are no longer appropriate. Test both a URL with no query string and one with representative parameters.
Nginx: use return for fixed destinations
Nginx places redirects in the matching server or location block. The return directive is the clearest choice when one known request should produce one known destination. Nginx accepts redirect status codes including 301, 302, 303, and 307.
Permanent redirect for one exact path
location = /old-page {
return 301 https://www.example.com/new-page;
}The = modifier makes this an exact location match, so /old-page is handled without also matching longer paths such as /old-page/archive. Remove the modifier or use a prefix location when a whole subtree should be redirected.
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Temporary redirect
location = /maintenance {
return 302 https://www.example.com/status;
}Use 302 for a preview, maintenance endpoint, or experiment that may be removed. If a request method must be preserved during a temporary move, choose 307 instead of assuming every client treats 302 identically.
Regex transformation with rewrite
Use rewrite when the destination is derived from part of the path:
rewrite ^/old/(.*)$ https://www.example.com/new/$1 permanent;The permanent flag returns 301. Replace it with redirect for 302:
rewrite ^/old/(.*)$ https://www.example.com/new/$1 redirect;For a rewrite that changes the URI and should trigger a new location search, use last. If restarting location selection would match the same rule again, use break to continue processing in the current location. Choosing the wrong flag is a common source of loops or rules that appear to be ignored.
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Canonicalize a host while preserving the complete request URI
Use a separate server block for an old host and return the original request URI:
server {
listen 80;
server_name old.example.com;
return 301 https://www.example.com$request_uri;
}$request_uri contains the path and the original arguments, so a request such as /docs/start?lang=en is redirected to the same path and query string on the new host. Nginx’s conversion guidance recommends this direct server-level return instead of an if-plus-rewrite construction for host canonicalization.
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Preserve paths and query strings intentionally
A domain move normally needs to preserve every path, not just the home page. A path migration may instead map one old path to one new path, or transform a family of paths with a captured suffix. Decide which of those behaviors you need before writing the rule.
| Goal | Apache approach | Nginx approach |
|---|---|---|
| One old path to one new path | Redirect permanent or a single RewriteRule |
location = ... { return 301 ...; } |
| Preserve a path suffix | Capture it with RewriteRule and reuse $1 |
Capture it with rewrite and reuse $1 |
| Preserve the original query string while adding parameters | Use QSA |
Use a replacement that retains the arguments and verify the resulting URL |
| Discard incoming parameters | Use QSD |
Use replacement syntax that suppresses the original arguments, then test the response |
| Preserve path and arguments during a host move | Build the destination from a trusted canonical host and the matched path | Use $request_uri in a dedicated old-host server block |
Nginx appends original arguments when a rewrite replacement does not introduce a new argument string. If the replacement supplies its own query string, verify whether the old arguments are replaced or retained according to the syntax you chose. Apache’s QSA and QSD make the corresponding choice explicit.
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Apache processing phases
Apache evaluates rewrite rules in different phases, including URL-to-filename translation and the later fixup phase. A rule in the main server or virtual-host configuration is not processed exactly like the same text in .htaccess. Directory prefixes, internal redirects, and the order of rules can therefore change the result.
- Put broad rules after specific exceptions so an exception is not swallowed by a catch-all.
- Use
[L]with external redirects so later rules in the current pass do not process the generated URL. - Keep an HTTP-to-HTTPS rule separate from application routing when possible; this makes loops easier to identify.
- After editing a virtual host, validate the active configuration and reload Apache using your operating system’s service procedure.
Nginx location selection and rewrite flow
Nginx first selects a server block by address, port, and host, then chooses a location. Exact, prefix, and regular-expression locations can therefore compete. A rewrite with last starts location selection again; break stops that restart and continues in the current location.
- Use an exact location for a single legacy URL when a broader prefix also exists.
- Place host canonicalization in the old host’s server block rather than trying to infer the host inside application logic.
- Use
lastonly when the resulting URI should be handled by another location. - Use
breakwhen restarting would send the request back through the same transformation.
Apache and Nginx compared
| Decision point | Apache | Nginx |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed redirect | Redirect is concise and works in supported server, virtual-host, directory, and .htaccess contexts. |
return is the simplest directive in a server or location block. |
| Conditions and regular expressions | mod_rewrite provides conditions, captures, and flags such as R, L, QSA, and QSD. |
rewrite handles regular-expression transformations; location matching supplies much of the routing structure. |
| Per-directory control | .htaccess can be useful when you cannot edit the virtual host, but its pattern context and processing phases differ. |
Configuration is normally centralized; there is no direct .htaccess equivalent. |
| Path preservation | Capture and reuse path components, and choose query behavior with rewrite flags. | Use captured variables or $request_uri; verify how replacement arguments affect the original query string. |
| Ordering and loops | Rule order, internal redirects, and missing [L] can cause repeated processing. |
Location precedence plus last versus break determines whether matching starts over. |
| Best default | Start with Redirect for a fixed mapping; move to mod_rewrite only for a real condition or transformation. |
Start with return for a fixed destination; use rewrite for regex-driven changes. |
Secure redirect destinations
A redirect should normally point to a fixed, administrator-controlled URL. Building the destination from an unvalidated query parameter, host header, path fragment, or other user input can create an open redirect. Attackers can abuse such a URL in phishing links, obscure the real destination behind a trusted domain, or interfere with authentication flows.
- Use a fixed canonical scheme and host in rules that perform domain or HTTPS migration.
- If a destination must be selectable, validate it against an explicit allowlist of schemes, hosts, and permitted paths.
- Do not concatenate arbitrary user input into an Apache external redirect.
- Do not pass a user-controlled proxy target to Apache’s
[P]flag; Apache identifies that pattern as an SSRF risk. - Normalize and validate encoded characters before making security decisions, because alternate spellings can bypass a superficial allowlist.
Do not use a redirect as access control. A client can ignore it, call the destination directly, or submit a different method. Protect the destination itself with authentication and authorization where required.
Test a redirect before making it permanent
- Check the rule in a staging host or with a narrowly scoped temporary 302.
- Request the exact old URL, including a representative query string and any meaningful trailing-slash variant.
- Inspect the first response’s status code and
Locationheader rather than looking only at the final browser page. - Confirm that the destination has the intended scheme, host, path, encoding, and query parameters.
- Follow the redirect chain and make sure there is no HTTP-to-HTTPS or host-canonicalization loop.
- Test an unrelated URL to verify that a broad rule has not captured more traffic than intended.
- Test methods your application uses, such as
GET,POST, andHEAD, especially when choosing between 302 and 307. - Review server logs for repeated requests, invalid URI warnings, unexpected status codes, and application errors.
- Only after the destination is stable, replace the temporary response with a 301 and deploy it during a controlled change.
A command-line check makes the first hop visible. For example, with a client that shows headers:
curl -I https://www.example.com/old-page?source=testLook for one expected 301 or 302 response and a correctly formed Location header. Add the client option that follows redirects only after inspecting the first hop; otherwise a loop can be hidden behind the final error.
Troubleshoot common failures
The rule never matches
- In Apache
.htaccess, remove the leading slash from a pattern that was written for server context. - Confirm that the relevant Apache module is enabled and that the directory permits overrides when using
.htaccess. - In Nginx, verify that the request reaches the intended
serverblock and that an exact or regular-expression location is not taking precedence. - Check spelling, URL encoding, and trailing slashes in the request actually sent by the client.
The browser reports too many redirects
- Inspect every hop with headers and identify whether the loop alternates between HTTP and HTTPS, old and new hosts, or two path variants.
- Behind a proxy, replace an origin-side
%{HTTPS}check with a check of a trusted, proxy-overwritten protocol header. - Make sure the destination no longer satisfies the source rule.
- In Nginx, avoid
lastwhen restarting location selection sends the rewritten URI back into the same rule; usebreakor a more specific location where appropriate.
The path is right but parameters are wrong
- In Apache, decide explicitly between retaining, appending, or discarding the original query string with normal rewrite behavior,
QSA, orQSD. - In Nginx, check whether the replacement introduces a query string and whether the original arguments are consequently retained or replaced.
- Test duplicate parameter names and encoded ampersands, not just a single simple parameter.
The redirect works in a browser but breaks an API client
- Confirm the client follows redirects at all; many HTTP libraries require an option to enable that behavior.
- Check whether the client changes the method or drops a request body after a 301 or 302.
- Use 307 when preserving the method is required, and test it with the actual client library.
Practical decision guide
- Is the move temporary? Start with 302. Use 307 instead when method preservation is a requirement.
- Is the destination one fixed URL? In Apache choose
Redirect; in Nginx choosereturn. - Does the rule depend on a condition or captured path? Use Apache
mod_rewriteor Nginxrewrite. - Is this a whole-domain or HTTP-to-HTTPS migration? Use a dedicated virtual host or Nginx server block and preserve the request path deliberately.
- Should incoming parameters survive? Decide that explicitly, document it in the rule, and test both empty and populated query strings.
- Could any destination component come from a request? Replace it with a fixed value or validate it against an allowlist before redirecting.
- Have you verified the first response? Inspect status and
Location, then check the complete chain and unrelated URLs before switching to 301.
Example rule sets by task
One permanent path move
Apache:
Redirect permanent "/docs/v1" "https://www.example.com/docs/v2"
Nginx:
location = /docs/v1 {
return 301 https://www.example.com/docs/v2;
}Temporary campaign preview
Apache:
Redirect temp "/spring" "https://www.example.com/preview"
Nginx:
location = /spring {
return 302 https://www.example.com/preview;
}Pattern-based section move
Apache:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule "^/manual/(.*)$" "https://www.example.com/guide/$1" [R=301,L]
Nginx:
rewrite ^/manual/(.*)$ https://www.example.com/guide/$1 permanent;These examples intentionally keep the destination fixed and make the status obvious. Adapt the source pattern, host, and query-string behavior to the URLs you actually own, then test the first response before publishing the rule.
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