HTTP Redirect Trace Tool

Turn pasted redirect headers or URL chains into a hop-by-hop trace with loop, downgrade and target warnings.

Trace input

Needed to resolve a relative Location in the first response.
Paste header blocks or compact status-and-target lines. Up to 50 hops and 100,000 characters.

Redirect trace

Resolved target

Paste a chain or response headers to visualize each hop.

Ready. Paste a redirect chain or response headers.

Your pasted URLs and headers stay in your browser. BroBroGo does not upload or save them.

FAQ

Which trace formats can I paste?

Paste consecutive HTTP response header blocks, or use a starting URL followed by lines such as 301 /new and 200. Complete source-status-target lines are also accepted.

How are relative Location values resolved?

A value such as /signin is resolved against the URL for that hop. Add the starting URL when the first response uses a relative Location; later hops use the previous resolved target.

Does this tool visit or verify the URLs?

No. It analyzes only the text you paste. It does not test whether a site is reachable, whether the headers are genuine, or whether a browser will follow the same chain.

Written and reviewed by the BroBroGo editorial team.Last updated:

Understanding HTTP Redirect Tracing

An HTTP redirect is a mechanism where a server directs a client, such as a web browser, to another URL. This process can occur in a single step or span across multiple sequential steps, forming a redirect chain. The HTTP Redirect Trace Tool is designed to analyze these chains by taking a series of HTTP redirect headers or a chain of URLs and breaking down each step in the redirection process.

The tool identifies the specific type of redirect used, determines where each step leads, and flags potential configuration issues. Because it operates entirely on the text provided by the user, it analyzes the redirect path without visiting or verifying the URLs, testing their reachability, checking header authenticity, or simulating browser behavior. This allows you to inspect and debug complex redirect paths safely and statically.

Input Formats and Requirements

To trace a redirect path, the tool accepts two primary inputs through its interface:

  • Starting URL (optional): This field is labeled Starting URL (optional) in the interface. It requires a complete HTTP or HTTPS URL. Providing this URL is necessary to resolve a relative Location header in the first response of your chain. If the first response uses a relative path and this input is missing or invalid, the tool cannot resolve the initial target.
  • Redirect chain or response headers: Entered into the Redirect chain or response headers input area, this can consist of consecutive HTTP response header blocks, a starting URL followed by lines like 301 /new and 200, or complete source-status-target lines.

The tool enforces specific limits to ensure stable processing:

  • The input must not exceed 100,000 characters.
  • The tool accepts a maximum of 50 hops per trace.

If the input violates these constraints or contains formatting errors, the tool will clear any previously displayed results and show one of the following error messages:

  • Paste a redirect chain or response headers first.
  • This input is too large. Keep it under ‹max› characters.
  • Enter a complete HTTP or HTTPS starting URL.
  • No HTTP responses were found in this input.
  • This tool accepts up to ‹hops› hops per trace.
  • Line ‹line› is not a response header or a supported status-and-target line.

How the Tool Analyzes Hops and Status Codes

When a redirect chain is successfully processed, the tool evaluates each step, labeling it sequentially as Hop ‹index›. For each hop, the tool displays the following details:

  • Request URL: The URL that initiated the current hop.
  • Location: The raw value of the Location header extracted from the response.
  • Resolved target: The fully qualified URL that the Location header resolves to.

During this analysis, the tool categorizes the HTTP status codes to determine the nature of each redirect:

  • Permanent: Status codes 301 and 308 are classified as permanent redirects.
  • Temporary: Status codes 302, 303, and 307 are classified as temporary redirects.
  • Final response: This indicates the last response in the analyzed chain.
  • Other response: This indicates any response that does not fall into the permanent, temporary, or final categories.

Resolving Relative vs. Absolute Location Headers

A key function of the tool is resolving the destination of each hop. The Location header in an HTTP response can contain either an absolute URL (e.g., https://example.com/dashboard) or a relative path (e.g., /signin).

Relative Location values are resolved against the URL of that specific hop. If the very first response in your pasted text uses a relative path, you must provide a complete HTTP or HTTPS URL in the Starting URL (optional) field to establish the base domain. For all subsequent hops, the tool automatically uses the previous Resolved target as the base URL to resolve any relative paths encountered next.

Identifying Redirect Issues and Warnings

During the trace, the tool automatically flags configuration anomalies and security risks. It counts the total number of issues and displays them alongside the total hop count in the summary line: ‹hops› hop(s) analyzed · ‹issues› issue(s).

The tool flags four specific issues:

  • Loop: A warning indicating that a redirect loop has been detected, where the chain redirects back to a previous URL in the path.
  • HTTPS downgrade: A warning indicating a security downgrade where a secure HTTPS URL redirects to an insecure HTTP URL.
  • Missing Location: A warning indicating that a redirect status code was returned, but the response is missing the required Location header.
  • Invalid Location: A warning indicating that the Location header contains an invalid or malformed value.

Privacy and Local Processing

Your privacy is maintained during the analysis. Your pasted URLs and headers stay in your browser and are not uploaded or saved. All processing and analysis happen locally on your device.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which trace formats can I paste?

You can paste consecutive HTTP response header blocks, or use a starting URL followed by lines such as 301 /new and 200. Complete source-status-target lines are also accepted.

How are relative Location values resolved?

A value such as /signin is resolved against the URL for that hop. Add the starting URL when the first response uses a relative Location; later hops use the previous resolved target.

Does this tool visit or verify the URLs?

No. It analyzes only the text you paste. It does not test whether a site is reachable, whether the headers are genuine, or whether a browser will follow the same chain.

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