Redirect Chain Checker

Follow every step of a URL's redirect chain. Enter a URL and see each hop, its HTTP status code and the Location it points to, until the chain ends at the final page. This is how you find redirect loops, chains that are one hop too long, and http-to-https or www canonicalisation that costs your visitors time.

Include the scheme, e.g. https://example.com/page. Up to 10 hops are followed; only public http/https URLs are allowed.

What a redirect chain is

When a server replies with a redirect status code, it also sends a Location header pointing at the next URL. A client then requests that URL, which may redirect again. The series of requests is the chain. Each extra hop is a full round trip: DNS, TCP, TLS and an HTTP exchange — so a chain of three redirects can easily add hundreds of milliseconds before the new visitor sees anything.

Redirects are essential for migrating a site, forcing HTTPS, or normalising www vs non-www, but a healthy site usually settles within one or two hops. Long chains, loops and mixed temporary/permanent redirects are common sources of lost traffic and SEO problems.

301 vs 302 — and the rest

Code	Name	Meaning
301	Moved Permanently	Permanent. Clients and search engines cache it, and ranking signals transfer. Use for `http→https` and permanent moves. Hard to undo because caches hold it.
302	Found	Temporary. Not cached long-term; ranking signals are not passed the same way. Use for A/B tests, maintenance and short-lived redirects.
303	See Other	Redirects and forces a `GET`, commonly after a `POST` (the Post/Redirect/Get pattern).
307	Temporary Redirect	Like 302 but preserves the HTTP method — a `POST` stays a `POST`.
308	Permanent Redirect	Like 301 but preserves the method. Use when a permanent move must keep the original method and body.

The key practical distinction is permanent (301/308) versus temporary (302/303/307). Permanent redirects teach clients the new location and are cached, which is exactly what you want for a real move — and exactly what you do not want if the change might be reversed.

Common problems this reveals

Redirect loops. Two URLs pointing at each other, or a rule that redirects a URL to itself, produce an endless chain (ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS).
Chains that are too long. http → https → www → /index is three hops where one or two would do.
Temporary where permanent belongs. A 302 used for a permanent move leaves search engines unsure and dilutes link equity.
Mixed schemes. An https URL redirecting back to http, or a secure page leaking to insecure assets.
Wrong final destination. A chain that lands on a 404 or a different page than intended.

Fixing redirect chains

Point directly at the final URL. Update links and sitemaps to the canonical destination so no hops are needed.
Collapse the chain. Make the first redirect go straight to the end instead of hop by hop.
Use the right status. Permanent moves get 301/308; temporary ones get 302/303/307.
Pick one canonical host. Decide between www and non-www and between http and https, then redirect once, consistently.

Privacy and security

We request the URL you enter and follow its redirects. To keep the tool safe, only http and https are allowed, and every hop is re-checked so the chain can never point at private, loopback or reserved addresses (SSRF protection). Requests time out after 5 seconds, responses are capped, and the chain is limited to 10 hops. Results are cached briefly and requests are rate-limited per IP.