The Redirect Checker detects whether a URL redirects and finds the final destination. It uses the browser's Fetch API in redirect:manual mode to detect redirects, then follow-mode to resolve the final URL. Works with CORS-enabled URLs.
Check Redirects
Browser limitation: Due to CORS policy, this tool only works with CORS-enabled URLs. For complete redirect chain inspection including non-CORS URLs, use curl -IL https://yoururl.com in a terminal.
Checking redirects...
Common Redirect Types
URL has moved permanently. Link equity passes. Best for SEO when moving pages.
URL is temporarily at a different location. Link equity may not fully transfer.
Temporary redirect that preserves the HTTP method (POST stays POST).
Permanent redirect that preserves HTTP method. Use for API endpoint moves.
How to Use the Redirect Checker
The Redirect Checker uses a two-step approach to detect redirects: first a redirect: 'manual' fetch to detect if a redirect occurred, then a redirect: 'follow' fetch to find the final URL.
Step 1: Enter a URL
Enter the URL you want to check. Include the protocol (https://). If you enter a URL without protocol, https:// is added automatically.
Step 2: Interpret Results
- Redirect detected — the original URL redirected to a different final URL. Both URLs are shown.
- No redirect (direct response) — the URL responded directly without redirecting.
- CORS error — the server doesn't allow browser requests. Use curl for these URLs.
For Complete Redirect Chain Tracing
Due to browser CORS restrictions, this tool can only detect whether a redirect occurred and find the final URL — it cannot show every hop in a multi-step redirect chain. For complete chain tracing, use curl from your terminal:
curl -IL https://yoururl.com
The -I flag shows headers only (no body), -L follows all redirects. Each redirect step shows a Location: header with the next URL.
Common Redirect Scenarios
- HTTP to HTTPS — http://example.com → https://example.com (security upgrade)
- www to non-www — www.example.com → example.com (canonical consolidation)
- URL shorteners — bit.ly/xyz → actual destination URL
- Old pages — /old-post → /new-category/new-post (content restructuring)
FAQ
What is the difference between 301 and 302 redirects?
A 301 redirect is permanent — it tells browsers and search engines that the URL has moved permanently to the new location. Link equity (PageRank) passes to the new URL. A 302 redirect is temporary — it's used when a URL is temporarily unavailable or during A/B testing. Search engines may not transfer link equity for 302s. For SEO, use 301 for permanent moves and 302 for temporary ones.
How do I check a redirect chain from the browser?
This tool checks redirects using the browser's Fetch API. Due to browser CORS restrictions, it works best with CORS-enabled URLs. For complete redirect chain inspection (including non-CORS URLs), use curl: curl -IL https://yoururl.com — the -L flag follows redirects and -I shows headers only.
What is a redirect loop and how do I detect it?
A redirect loop occurs when URL A redirects to URL B which redirects back to URL A (or through multiple URLs that eventually return to A). The browser detects these automatically. In this tool, redirect loops would cause a fetch error. In curl, you'd see ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS or the -L flag would follow redirects indefinitely until hitting a limit.
Why does the tool show 'No redirect detected' for URLs I know redirect?
Most redirect detection requires reading the initial HTTP status code (301/302) and the Location header. Browser CORS policy blocks reading these headers from cross-origin responses. The tool uses opaque redirect detection via fetch redirect:manual mode, but many server-side redirects use headers that CORS blocks. Use curl -IL url for definitive redirect chain inspection.
What is the difference between 307 and 308 redirects?
307 (Temporary Redirect) and 308 (Permanent Redirect) are the HTTP/1.1 equivalents of 302 and 301 respectively. The key difference: 307/308 guarantee that the HTTP method is preserved (a POST stays a POST). With 301/302, browsers traditionally changed POST to GET after the redirect. 308 is the recommended permanent redirect for APIs where method preservation matters.
What is a meta refresh redirect?
A meta refresh is an HTML-based redirect that uses a <meta http-equiv='refresh'> tag in the page's head. Unlike server-side redirects, it loads the initial page first and then redirects after a delay. This type is invisible to server-side tools and not counted as a 301/302 redirect by most SEO crawlers. It's generally bad for SEO.