Redirect Tracer

Why redirect chains matter

A redirect is a server saying "not here — over there," and browsers follow the trail. One hop (http to https, or bare domain to www) is normal and healthy. Chains get expensive fast: every hop is another full round trip, which slows page loads, confuses analytics, and occasionally loops forever when two rules point at each other. They also hide real problems — a page that "works" might actually be bouncing through three URLs, and the day one of those hops breaks, the page breaks with no obvious cause. This tool walks the chain one hop at a time, showing the status code and destination of each step, and stops at ten hops or the first loop. Only public http/https targets are traced; private addresses and exotic schemes are refused. If the chain is longer than three, flatten it: point the first URL straight at the final destination and retire the middlemen. Paste the trace into the ticket and the next person can see the whole trail instead of guessing.