How to Setup 301 Redirect

DEFINITION

301 redirects is a HTTP response status code that is used to permanently redirect a URL. What this means is that the current URL link used in question does not contain the sought records and that the URL needs to be updated. This new URL brought from the search result contains information which you can use to find the information you were initially looking for. It is included in a ‘location field’. For this reason, 301 redirect is considered to be the best practice for upgrading using from HTTP to HTTPS.[irp][irp]

So what are Status Codes?

Status codes are among a list of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). They are issued by a server in response to a client’s request made to the server.The first digit of the status code specifies one of the first standard classes of response. The responses or message phrases shown are typical: any human-readable alternative may be provided. To obtain more specific information to the keywords searched, sub-codes makes additional decimals. However, these sub-codes only appear in response payload and in documentation, not in the place of actual HTTP status code.[irp][irp]
Among the servers that work to provide you with the requested information is the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). It is an open standard organization that serves to give you access to an IP location where you can access the coded information.Status codes are separated into five classes. In these classes, the first digit of the status code defines the class of response while the last two digits do not have any class or categorization role. Below is a short description of what they indicate.[irp][irp]

• 1xx (informational): the request was received, continuing process
• 2xx (successful): the request was successfully received, understood, and accepted
• 3xx (redirection): further action needs to be taken in order to complete the request
• 4xx (client error): the request contains bad syntax or cannot be fulfilled
• 5xx (server error): the server failed to fulfil an apparent valid request.

My main focus shall be to emphasis on 3xx redirection.

3xx Redirection

As mentioned earlier, 301 redirect is a command that states the client must take action to complete the request. The user agent may carry out the additional action with no user interaction only if the method used in the second request is GET or HEAD. A user agent is, however, advised to detect and intervene to prevent cyclical redirects i.e. to ensure that the URL added to the location field does not bring him unnecessary traffic and/or undesired circumnavigations.
In addition, the redirection are used to enable the client to understand how to handle caching (the ability of your hard disk to temporarily store web page content) and which request method to use for the subsequent request.
Under 3xx redirect, we have several status codes definitions as per HTTP/1.1 within which 301 redirect falls under.

1. 300 multiple choices-once the user keys in his words to the web, search engines work to bring a number of choices to the user much of which it deems to be the closest match to the input keys from various IP locations uploaded by other internet users.
2. 301 moved permanently- suggests that the requested information or data should be directed to the provided URL
3. 302 found (previously ‘Moved temporarily) in HTTP/1.0 definition it is meant to tell the user to open the suggested link as the one they are seeking has been moved temporarily. In HTTP/1.1, 302 moved permanently has been defined by different terms from additional of status codes 303 and 307.
4. 303 See Other-the response to the desired request can be found under another URL using the GET method if the previous request was POST.The two terms GET and POST shall be explained further later in the article.

5. 304 Not Modified- means that the resources have not been modified since the version specified by the request headers IF-Modified-Since or If-Non-Match. That is, the client may be holding the requested resource and hence there will be no need for retransmission.
6. 305 Use Proxy- the resource you requested is only available through a proxy. We have provided you with the address. If you use other browsers like the Mozilla or the Internet Explorer they will not give you proxy addresses. They do this for what they call security reasons.
7. 306 switch proxy- the resources requested cannot be found through the Requested URL. Rather, follow the provided for proxy address even for future referencing.[irp][irp]
8. 307 temporal redirect- repeat the request using another URL. However, it may be possible to access the sought for resources using the original URL. There is no change made to the original URL unlike the case of the old 302 adapted in HTTP/1.0.
9. 308 permanent redirect- this request and other following requests should all be repeated using another URL.

NB: Status codes 304 Not Modified and 305 Use Proxy are not redirects.

From these we can find that in 301 redirect:

• If the client has link-editing abilities he or she should update all references to the Requested URL.
• The request can be stored temporarily to the hard drive (cacheable) unless indicated otherwise.
• Unless the request method was HEAD, the entity, or the URL, should contain a small hypertext note with a link to the new URL(s).
• If the 301 status code is received in response to a request of any type other than GET or HEAD, the client must ask the user before redirecting. This is to mean that the client should be cautious to proceed and should inspect the source before doing so.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

The Hypertext Transfer Protocol is an application protocol designed for any web user to have easy access to information. It determines the flow messages to him/her, their format and by which mode they are going to be transmitted. Also, it is a foundation of data collection for the World Wide Web, where hypertext documents are designed to have hyperlinks to other resources that the user can easily access should the original source be interfered with.[irp][irp]

Hypertext Transfer Protocol/1.1

An integrated system of interconnections that are enabled by default in such a way that they include proxies. Its design is meant to improve data transfer by different streams like a parallel circuit. That is, multiple requests can be sent at a time. Its key feature is faster data transfer.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol/1.0

It allows you to work without necessarily having a host header. Is usability is thus limited in other browsers like Firefox as they do not support proxies.This protocol is slow in its response such that if you were navigating through addresses it would close the previous one and you will have to search for it all over again.It also had support for caching but under the header: If-Modified-Since.It is not suitable to send or receive multiple data at once.

URL Redirection

URL redirection is also known as URL forwarding. It is a World Wide Web technique for making a web page visible under more than one URL address.It incorporates subtypes that lead to the original document
URL redirection can be done for various reasons:

1. For URL shortening
2. To prevent broken links when web pages are moved
3. To allow multiple domain names belonging to the same owner to refer to a single website
4. To guide navigation into and out of a website
5. For privacy protection
6. For hostile purposes such as phishing attacks or malware distribution

HTTP Header Fields

HTTP header fields are components of the header section of request and response messages in the Hypertext Transfer Protocol. They define the operating parameters of an HTTP transaction. In simpler terms, they aid in URL redirection through proxies or changed URLs.

Request Methods

Request methods are HTTP definition methods that indicate the desired action to be performed on the identified resource. What this resource represents, whether pre-existing data or data that is generated dynamically, depends on the instructions of the server. Often, the resource corresponds to a file of the output of an ‘executable’ residing on the server. The HTTP/1.0 specifications defined the GET, POST and HEAD methods.[irp][irp]

GET

The GET method requests a representation of the specified resource. Requests using GET should only retrieve data and should have no other effect.

HEAD

The HEAD method asks for a response identical to that of the GET request, but without the response body. This is useful for retrieving meta-information written in response headers, without having to transport the entire content.

POST

The POST method requests that the server accept the entity enclosed in the request as a new subordinate of the web resource identified by the URL.

HTTP/1.1 Request Methods

They include, PUT, DELETE, OPTIONS, TRACE AND CONECT

1. PUT- it request that the enclosed entity be stored under the supplied URL. Like in photos, in case your device notes that the picture is a duplicate, it makes modification to it and saves it. if there was no previous picture, it saves it as an original
2. DELETE- this just deletes the specified resource.
3. OPTIONS-it find you a way to get back to a closed URL
4. TRACE- basically just enables you to check if any changes have been made to the URL
5. CONNECT- it sends you through to another IP address to locate to get the requested information

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