HTTP redirect
An HTTP redirect is a server response that tells the client to fetch a different URL instead.
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Definition
An HTTP redirect is a server response that tells the client to fetch a different URL instead.
How it works
The server answers with a 3xx status code and a Location header, and the browser follows it automatically. The code matters: 301 and 308 mean the move is permanent, so search engines shift their attention to the new URL, while 302 and 307 mark it as temporary. Redirects also chain, and every hop costs a round trip — old domain to new domain to HTTPS to www is three hops that could be one.
Example: A site redirects http://example.com to https://example.com with a 301 so every visitor lands on the secure version.
Often confused: A redirect is an HTTP answer from a server; DNS records like CNAME point names at servers but never send a browser to a different URL.
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Last reviewed 2026-07-19.