Redirect Tracer

What Are HTTP Redirects?

An HTTP redirect tells a browser or crawler to go to a different URL than the one originally requested. When a server responds with a 3xx status code and a Location header, the client automatically follows the new URL. Redirects are a fundamental part of the web — used for URL shortening, domain migration, HTTPS enforcement, trailing-slash normalization, and more. A single URL can pass through multiple redirects before reaching its final destination, forming a redirect chain.

301 vs 302 Redirects

The two most common redirect types are 301 (Moved Permanently) and 302 (Found / Temporary Redirect). A 301 tells search engines and browsers that the page has permanently moved — link equity is passed to the new URL, and search engines update their index. A 302 signals a temporary move, meaning the original URL should remain indexed. Using the wrong type can hurt SEO performance: a 302 where a 301 is intended may prevent search engines from consolidating ranking signals to your canonical URL.

Redirect Chains and Loops

A redirect chain occurs when one redirect leads to another, which leads to another, and so on. While browsers handle short chains gracefully, long chains (3+ hops) add latency and can confuse crawlers. Redirect loops — where URL A redirects to B, which redirects back to A — cause browsers to display an error after detecting the cycle. This tool follows up to 10 hops and clearly shows each step, making it easy to identify unnecessary hops, loops, and mixed-protocol issues like HTTP-to-HTTPS chains.

Why Trace Redirects?

Redirect tracing is essential for SEO audits (ensuring 301s pass link equity correctly), debugging (finding where a broken redirect chain fails), security analysis (verifying URL shorteners don't lead to malicious destinations), and performance optimization (eliminating unnecessary hops that add latency). Enter any URL above to see every redirect hop with its status code, destination, response time, and server header.