Redirect Chain Checker
BetaFollow a URL through every redirect. See each hop's HTTP status code, the Location it points to and how long it took, up to the final page. Loops and private addresses are caught.
- Free, no sign-up
- REST + MCP
- Updated
- Reviewed by Olgun Ozoktas
How the check works
- 01
Your URL goes to FindUtils
A browser page cannot read another site's redirects, so the page sends the URL to FindUtils, which makes the requests from its own servers.
- 02
Each hop is requested and checked
Every hop gets a HEAD request (GET only if HEAD is refused). Before a redirect is followed, its target is checked: only public http and https addresses are requested.
- 03
The chain ends, or is stopped
It ends at the first response that does not redirect. It stops at a loop, after 10 requests, or at a redirect to a private or local address.
How to Check a Redirect Chain
-
Enter the URL
Paste the link you want to trace, such as http://example.com. A bare domain gets https:// in front. -
Run the check
Click Check. FindUtils requests the URL and follows each redirect, one hop at a time. -
Read the hops
Each hop shows its status code, the URL requested, where it points next and how long it took. The summary shows the final URL and the number of redirects. -
Fix what you find
Point old links straight at the final URL, replace temporary redirects that should be permanent, and break any loop the checker reports.
Common Uses
Site migrations
HTTP to HTTPS and www rules
Tracking and short links
Debugging loops
Why check a redirect chain?
Redirect Chain Checker follows a URL through every redirect and shows the chain hop by hop: the URL requested, the HTTP status code, the Location it points to and the time each hop took, up to the final response. It reports the final URL and the number of redirects, catches loops, stops after 10 requests, and follows a meta refresh it finds by reading the first 16 KB of the final HTML page.
A browser page cannot read another site's redirects, so this page sends the URL to FindUtils, which makes the requests from its own servers and checks every hop before following it: only public http and https addresses are requested. To look up what a status code means, use the HTTP Status Code Lookup. To check the security headers of the final page, use the Security Headers Analyzer, and to check its certificate, the SSL Certificate Checker.
How it compares
On a command line, curl -sIL https://example.com prints the headers of every hop, and a browser's network panel shows the redirects it followed. This page gives the same chain as a readable list without a terminal, with each hop's time, loop detection and a guard against private addresses, and it works on a phone.
Unlike curl on your own machine, the requests come from FindUtils's servers. The page sends the URL to FindUtils at api.findutils.com; the REST API and MCP tool use the same module. FindUtils does not store that input, and logs the request without its content.
Tips for Clean Redirects
- Link to the final URL directly; every hop you remove saves a round trip.
- Use 301 or 308 for a permanent move and 302 or 307 only for a temporary one.
- Combine the https and www rules so a visitor makes one hop, not two.
- If a chain loops here but works in your browser, the site may be waiting for a cookie.
- Check the final status too: a chain that ends in a 404 is a broken link, however clean the redirects are.