Many websites redirect visitors before returning the final page. Common examples include redirecting from HTTP to HTTPS, from a non-www address to www, or from an older path to a newer one. Follow redirects is enabled by default so the monitor checks the destination a visitor normally reaches.
When to leave redirect following enabled
Keep Follow redirects enabled when you want to confirm that the complete visitor path works. Uptime Basics follows HTTP 301, 302, 303, 307, and 308 responses and evaluates the final response.
This detects problems such as:
- a redirect that points to an unavailable page;
- a redirect loop;
- a redirect to a host with DNS or TLS problems;
- a redirect chain that never reaches a final response.
The monitor's timeout applies to the overall check, including time spent following redirects.
The redirect limit
An availability check follows up to five redirects. If another redirect is returned after that limit, the check fails with a redirect diagnosis. A long chain is also worth simplifying because every step adds latency and another possible point of failure.
Every redirect destination is checked against the same destination-safety rules as the original URL. Uptime Basics does not follow a redirect to a private, local, reserved, invalid, or unsupported target.
For security, Basic Authentication credentials and custom request headers are not forwarded when a redirect changes to a different origin. They remain available for redirects on the same origin. If a protected endpoint redirects to another origin that also requires credentials, monitor the final approved URL directly instead.
Turn redirect following off
You can turn the setting off when the redirect response itself is what you need to monitor.
- Open the monitor from Monitors.
- Open Monitor Settings.
- Clear Follow redirects.
- Select Save changes.
With redirect following off, Uptime Basics records the first redirect response but does not test the destination. Because HTTP 300-level responses are accepted by default, the check can remain Up even if the page named in the Location header is unavailable.
If a redirect check fails
Review the latest check and verify the redirect chain in a browser or an HTTP inspection tool. Check for repeated HTTP/HTTPS or www/non-www rules, an incorrect Location value, expired TLS certificates on a destination, and redirects that depend on cookies or browser JavaScript.
If the chain is intentional and longer than five redirects, use the final stable URL as the monitor URL. If the diagnosis remains unclear, contact Uptime Basics support with the monitor name, check time, and displayed diagnosis.