The Tool Desk
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This guide shows all three approaches, explains what each hop means, and includes recovery steps for the cases where a trace appears to contain only the destination.
What a redirect trace must contain
A redirect chain is a sequence of HTTP requests. The browser sends a request to a source URL, receives a redirect response, reads its Location header, and sends the next request. The final URL alone does not tell you how the browser got there.
For each hop, retain:
- the source URL and the destination URL from
Location; - the HTTP status, normally 301, 302, 303, 307, or 308;
- the request method (such as GET or POST);
- request and response headers, especially
Location; - the browser request ID when using CDP; and
- timestamps or timing data.
Keep the final response separately: it has its own status, URL, MIME type, and timing and is not itself a redirect hop.
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Fastest method: Puppeteer’s redirectChain()
Puppeteer is the right level of abstraction when you need the navigation chain and final result without implementing the protocol event model. The request returned by the final navigation response contains the preceding redirected requests.
Complete Node.js example
import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';
const browser = await puppeteer.launch({ headless: true });
const page = await browser.newPage();
try {
const response = await page.goto('http://example.com', {
waitUntil: 'networkidle0',
timeout: 30000
});
if (!response) {
throw new Error('Navigation produced no response');
}
const finalRequest = response.request();
const hops = finalRequest.redirectChain().map((request) => ({
url: request.url(),
method: request.method(),
headers: request.headers()
}));
console.log(JSON.stringify({
hops,
finalUrl: response.url(),
finalStatus: response.status()
}, null, 2));
} finally {
await browser.close();
}Install Puppeteer with npm install puppeteer, then run the file as an ES module (for example, give it an .mjs extension or set "type":"module" in package.json). In the documented HTTP-to-HTTPS example, the chain has one request. A URL with no redirects produces an empty array.
How to interpret the result
Each object in hops is a request that was redirected. The response’s url() is the destination after the last hop, and status() is the final response status. Puppeteer’s chain does not by itself provide every response status or every redirect header; use CDP when that evidence matters.
Raw CDP Network events for complete evidence
CDP exposes the browser’s Network domain directly. Enable it before navigation and listen for Network.requestWillBeSent and Network.responseReceived. A request event whose redirectResponse field is populated represents the next request after a redirect.
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Capture navigation redirects with a CDP session
import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';
const browser = await puppeteer.launch({ headless: true });
const page = await browser.newPage();
const client = await page.createCDPSession();
const requests = new Map();
const redirects = [];
const responses = [];
await client.send('Network.enable');
client.on('Network.requestWillBeSent', (event) => {
const { requestId, request, timestamp, redirectResponse } = event;
requests.set(requestId, {
requestId,
url: request.url,
method: request.method,
timestamp,
headers: request.headers
});
if (redirectResponse) {
redirects.push({
requestId,
sourceUrl: redirectResponse.url,
destinationUrl: request.url,
status: redirectResponse.status,
location: redirectResponse.headers?.location ??
redirectResponse.headers?.Location ?? null,
method: request.method,
timestamp
});
}
});
client.on('Network.responseReceived', (event) => {
const { response, requestId, timestamp, type } = event;
responses.push({
requestId,
url: response.url,
status: response.status,
mimeType: response.mimeType,
type,
timestamp,
headers: response.headers
});
});
try {
await page.goto('http://example.com', {
waitUntil: 'load',
timeout: 30000
});
await page.waitForNetworkIdle({ idleTime: 500, timeout: 10000 });
console.log(JSON.stringify({ redirects, responses }, null, 2));
} finally {
await browser.close();
}Register listeners before calling goto(); otherwise the first hop can be missed. The redirectResponse object supplies the prior response’s URL, status, and headers. The following request event supplies the destination URL and method, allowing you to connect the two records. responseReceived gives the final status, MIME type, headers, and timing for each observed response.
Navigation versus subresource redirects
CDP reports more than top-level navigation. Images, scripts, stylesheets, fonts, XHR, and fetch requests can redirect too. Use the event’s resource type and request ID to separate a document chain from subresource activity. Puppeteer’s redirectChain() is focused on the request associated with the navigation response, so it is not a replacement for Network events when you need every resource.
Intercept a redirect with the CDP Fetch domain
Use Fetch interception when you need to pause a redirect, inspect it before continuation, or alter how the browser proceeds. A paused redirect response is identifiable by status 301, 302, 303, 307, or 308 plus a Location header. The subsequent request includes redirectedRequestId, linking it to the request that caused the redirect.
import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';
const browser = await puppeteer.launch({ headless: true });
const page = await browser.newPage();
const client = await page.createCDPSession();
await client.send('Fetch.enable', {
patterns: [{ requestStage: 'Response' }]
});
client.on('Fetch.requestPaused', async (event) => {
const { requestId, request, responseStatusCode, responseHeaders,
redirectedRequestId } = event;
const locationHeader = responseHeaders?.find((h) =>
h.name.toLowerCase() === 'location');
if ([301, 302, 303, 307, 308].includes(responseStatusCode) && locationHeader) {
console.log({
requestId,
redirectedRequestId: redirectedRequestId ?? null,
sourceUrl: request.url,
status: responseStatusCode,
location: locationHeader.value
});
}
// Continue so navigation is not left paused.
await client.send('Fetch.continueRequest', { requestId });
});
try {
await page.goto('http://example.com', { waitUntil: 'load', timeout: 30000 });
} finally {
await client.send('Fetch.disable').catch(() => {});
await browser.close();
}Do not call Fetch.getResponseBody for a redirect response. Redirect bodies are unavailable through the official Fetch interface; record the status and headers instead. Always continue or fail a paused request, and disable Fetch interception during cleanup, or the page can remain suspended.
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Manual validation in Chrome DevTools
- Open Chrome DevTools before starting navigation.
- Select the Network panel and enable recording.
- Navigate to the URL in the same tab.
- Inspect the request table’s Status, Initiator, type, size, time, and waterfall columns.
- Open each document request and inspect response headers, including
Location.
The Initiator column can identify an HTTP redirect and helps distinguish it from a parser- or script-initiated request. Starting recording before navigation matters: opening DevTools after the page has loaded cannot recover earlier hops.
Which approach should you choose?
| Approach | Best for | Redirect metadata | Interception | Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Puppeteer redirectChain() |
A quick top-level navigation report | Redirected request URLs, methods, and headers; final URL and status | No | Lowest |
| CDP Network | Request IDs, response headers, timings, and subresources | Full event-level linkage through redirectResponse |
No | Medium |
| CDP Fetch | Pausing, modifying, or conditionally continuing redirects | Status, Location, request linkage | Yes | Highest |
| DevTools Network panel | Human validation and waterfall inspection | Visible request and response details | Limited manual controls | Lowest for one-off checks |
Why a trace shows only the final URL
Listeners started too late
If CDP listeners are attached after goto(), the initial request and first redirect may already be gone. Create the session, enable Network, and register handlers first.
The wrong request was inspected
A page can perform many requests. The final document response’s request is the one Puppeteer uses for navigation-chain reporting. In CDP, group events by request ID and resource type instead of taking the last URL printed globally.
The navigation produced no HTTP response
Downloads, aborted navigations, renderer errors, and some client-side transitions can result in no usable Puppeteer response. Check for a null response, capture browser console and page errors, and inspect CDP events.
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The redirect is client-side
Meta refresh and JavaScript navigation do not appear as an HTTP Location response. Network events still show the subsequent document request, but there is no preceding 3xx hop. Record the initiator and document timing to distinguish these cases.
Service workers or cache affect the sequence
A service worker can fulfill a request without a network round trip, and cached responses can change what appears in the panel. For reproducible diagnostics, use a fresh browser context, clear relevant storage, and compare a run with cache disabled in DevTools.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Status codes, methods, and URL handling
Do not treat all redirects as interchangeable. 301 and 308 are commonly permanent; 302 and 303 can change how a user agent handles the next request; 307 and 308 preserve the method and request body by definition. Capture the method on both sides rather than inferring it from the status. Resolve relative Location values against the source URL before storing a canonical destination, while retaining the raw header for audit purposes.
Redirects can also cross origins, change schemes, or add and remove ports. A cross-origin hop may alter which cookies and authorization headers are sent. Never log sensitive authorization or cookie values in shared reports; redact them while keeping header names and redirect status.
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Timeouts, reliability, and performance
- Set an explicit navigation timeout. A page that waits indefinitely for a long-polling request should not block redirect reporting.
- Choose
waitUntil: 'load'when the redirect chain is the goal. Usenetworkidle0only when you also need post-load requests, because analytics and persistent connections can prevent quiescence. - Keep event handlers lightweight. Store structured records and write them after navigation rather than performing slow file or network operations inside every CDP callback.
- Use one browser instance with isolated contexts for batches, but create a new context when cookies, service workers, or cache could contaminate a comparison.
- Use a monotonic CDP timestamp for ordering and retain wall-clock time separately if reports must be correlated with server logs.
Or skip the browser setup
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Troubleshooting checklist
- Empty chain: verify that the URL really returns an HTTP redirect and that listeners were installed before navigation.
- Missing Location: inspect the raw response headers; malformed servers may return a 3xx status without a usable destination.
- Navigation timeout: lower the wait condition to
load, retain the events already collected, and investigate the page’s long-running requests separately. - Repeated redirects: record every hop and stop after a defined maximum; check scheme, host, cookie, and trailing-slash rules for a loop.
- Unexpected credentials in logs: redact cookie, authorization, and proxy-authentication values before persisting records.
- Paused page under Fetch: ensure every
Fetch.requestPausedevent receivescontinueRequest,fulfillRequest, orfailRequest. - No body available: expected for redirect responses in Fetch; use status and headers instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Puppeteer follow redirects without exposing them?
Yes. Normal navigation follows them automatically; use the final response request’s redirectChain() to expose the preceding requests.
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No. It only describes the final response. Check the Puppeteer chain or CDP request events to establish whether earlier 3xx responses occurred.
Can CDP show redirects made by an image or script?
Yes. Network events include subresource requests; classify them by resource type and keep their request IDs separate from the document navigation.
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