Skip to main content

URL Redirect Checker

Trace every HTTP redirect and detect threats in seconds

Where does that link actually go? The URL Redirect Checker follows every hop in the redirect chain, collects status codes, headers, and TLS certificates, then analyzes the security of each intermediate URL. Batch mode for 500 URLs, built-in unshortener. Try it now.

Enter a URL to trace its redirect chain, or paste multiple URLs for bulk checking.

Full redirect chain

Follow every hop with its status code, headers, response time, resolved IP, and TLS certificate. Visualize the end-to-end timeline.

Per-hop security

Every intermediate URL is checked against phishing databases, newly registered domains (NRDs), and IDN homograph attacks.

Batch checking

Paste up to 500 URLs, import a CSV, or provide an XML sitemap URL. Get a summary table with CSV export.

Built-in unshortener

Reveal the true destination behind short links (bit.ly, t.co, etc.) with an Open Graph preview and security verdict.

Loop detection

Detect redirect loops and excessive chains that hurt SEO and performance.

Why analyze redirect chains?

Redirects are everywhere on the web. Every domain migration, URL shortener, and marketing campaign creates them. But each additional hop introduces risk: SEO dilution, added latency, and potential security flaws. According to HTTP Archive, 20% of web URLs pass through at least one redirect before reaching their destination.

Four reasons to audit your redirects:

  • SEO impact: Each redirect dilutes the link juice passed to the final page. A 3-hop chain can lose up to 15% of transferred PageRank. Google recommends no more than 3 consecutive redirects
  • Security: URL shorteners hide the real destination. A bit.ly link can point to a phishing page after 2 intermediate redirects. Per-hop analysis catches these hidden threats
  • Performance: Each redirect adds 100 to 500 ms of latency (DNS resolution, TLS handshake, HTTP round trip). On mobile, 3 redirects can add over a second to page load time
  • Migrations: When changing domains, old URLs must point to the new ones. A broken chain (301 to 404) causes immediate traffic loss

How to use the URL Redirect Checker in 3 steps

Step 1: enter the URL

Paste the URL you want to analyze into the input field. The tool automatically selects the right mode:

  • Single URL: Detailed analysis with a full timeline
  • URL list (one per line): Automatic batch mode
  • Short link (bit.ly, t.co, goo.gl, etc.): Unshortener mode with Open Graph preview

Step 2: run the analysis

Click Analyze. For each hop, the tool collects the HTTP status code, response headers, response time, resolved IP address, TLS certificate, and security verdict.

Step 3: review the results

The report displays:

  • Hop timeline: Each redirect with its status code and duration
  • Security verdict: Phishing, NRD, IDN homograph, HTTPS-to-HTTP downgrade
  • Diagnostics: Detected loops, excessive chains, expired certificates

What is an HTTP redirect?

An HTTP redirect tells the browser (or crawler) that the requested resource has moved to a different address. The server responds with a 3xx status code and a Location header containing the new URL. The client automatically follows this instruction.

CodeTypeSEO transferUse case
301PermanentYes (full)Domain migration, permanent URL change
302TemporaryNoA/B testing, temporary maintenance
307Strict temporaryNoPreserves HTTP method (POST stays POST)
308Strict permanentYes (full)Permanent migration while preserving the HTTP method

Beyond HTTP redirects, two other mechanisms exist:

  • Meta refresh: The <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0;url=..."> HTML tag. Less reliable and not recommended for SEO
  • JavaScript: window.location.href = "..." or document.location.replace(...). Invisible to crawlers that do not execute JavaScript

What exactly does the tool analyze?

For each hop in the chain, the Redirect Checker collects and analyzes:

ElementDescriptionResult
Status codeHTTP response code (301, 302, 307, 308, 200)Redirect type and finality
HeadersLocation, Cache-Control, HSTS, X-Robots-TagCache policy and SEO directives
Response timeHop latency in millisecondsCumulative performance impact
TLS certificateIssuer, validity, SANsDetection of expired or self-signed certificates
Resolved IPServer IPv4/IPv6 addressGeolocation and CDN detection
SecurityPhishing, NRD, IDN homograph, HTTPS to HTTPPer-hop verdict with risk level

Three analysis modes in one tool

Detailed mode (single URL)

Enter a single URL to get the full chain with all per-hop details. This mode shows the visual timeline, complete headers, and security diagnostics. Ideal for debugging a specific redirect or verifying a suspicious link.

Batch mode (bulk checking)

Paste a list of URLs (one per line), import a CSV file, or provide an XML sitemap URL. The tool checks up to 500 URLs in parallel and produces a summary table: original URL, final destination, hop count, final status, and security verdict. CSV export available.

The tool automatically detects known shorteners (bit.ly, t.co, goo.gl, tinyurl.com, ow.ly, etc.). In addition to the redirect chain, it retrieves Open Graph metadata from the destination (title, description, image) so you can preview the page without clicking.

Real-world use cases

Case 1: domain migration with a broken chain

Symptom: After migrating from old-domain.captaindns.com to captaindns.com, certain pages lose 80% of their organic traffic within two weeks.

Diagnosis: The Redirect Checker reveals a 4-hop chain: old-domain.captaindns.com (301) to www.old-domain.captaindns.com (301) to captaindns.com (302) to www.captaindns.com (200). The problem: the third redirect is a 302 instead of a 301. Google does not transfer SEO value.

Action: Change the 302 to a 301 on the server. Reduce the chain to a single direct hop: old-domain.captaindns.com (301) to www.captaindns.com.

Symptom: An internal email contains a bit.ly link claiming to point to a shared document. The email text is urgent and asks the recipient to log in.

Diagnosis: The unshortener reveals 3 hops: bit.ly (301) to tracking.campaign.com (302) to captaindns-login.phishing-site.com (200). The security verdict flags an NRD (domain created 2 days ago) and an IDN homograph mimicking captaindns.com.

Action: Do not click. Report the email to the security team. Check the phishing domain with the Phishing URL Checker for the full risk score.

Case 3: redirect loop in production

Symptom: Users see "ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS" when accessing captaindns.com/app. The browser gives up after reaching the maximum number of redirects.

Diagnosis: The Redirect Checker detects a loop: /app (302) to /login (302) to /app (302) to /login... The authentication middleware redirects unauthenticated users to /login, but /login redirects back to /app when no return parameter is found.

Action: Add a ?redirect=/app parameter to the redirect to /login, and only redirect to /app when that parameter is present.

❓ FAQ - frequently asked questions

Q: Where does this short link go?

A: Paste the short link into the Redirect Checker. The tool automatically follows all redirects, reveals the final destination, and checks its security against threat intelligence databases. An Open Graph preview (title, description, image) is displayed for the destination page.

Q: What is the difference between a 301 and 302 redirect?

A: A 301 (Moved Permanently) indicates a permanent move. SEO value is transferred to the new URL. A 302 (Found) is temporary: search engines keep the original URL in their index. Use 301 for migrations and 302 for temporary redirects (maintenance, A/B testing).

Q: How many redirects can Google follow?

A: Google follows up to 10 redirects in a chain. Beyond that, crawling stops and the page is not indexed. In practice, Google recommends no more than 3 hops. The Redirect Checker shows a warning at 5 hops to give you room to fix issues.

Q: How do I detect a redirect loop?

A: The Redirect Checker automatically detects loops (A to B to A) and flags them in the diagnostics. The tool normalizes URLs (removes tracking parameters, converts to lowercase) to catch loops even when the URLs are not strictly identical.

Q: Does the tool detect phishing in links?

A: Yes. Every URL in the chain is checked against URLhaus, Google Safe Browsing, PhishTank, and VirusTotal. Newly registered domains (created less than 30 days ago, known as NRDs) and IDN homographs (Unicode characters mimicking legitimate domains) are also flagged.

Q: Can I check multiple URLs at once?

A: Yes, batch mode lets you check up to 500 URLs simultaneously. Three import methods: paste a list (one URL per line), import a CSV file, or provide an XML sitemap URL. Results can be exported as CSV.

Q: Are meta refresh and JavaScript redirects detected?

A: Yes. The tool detects standard HTTP redirects (301, 302, 307, 308), meta refresh tags in HTML, and common JavaScript patterns (window.location, document.location). This covers virtually all redirect mechanisms used on the web.

Complementary tools

The Redirect Checker pairs with other CaptainDNS tools for a complete analysis:

ToolPurpose
Phishing URL CheckerCheck a suspicious URL against 4 threat intelligence sources with a risk score
Page Crawl CheckerInspect a page's HTML, headers, and behavior without visiting it in your browser

Useful resources