# Understand 301 redirects

Source: https://docs.fortrabbit.com/dev/http-status-codes/others/301
Reviewed: 2026-06-22

> A 301 is a redirect, not an error. The server answers a request by pointing the client to a different URL. Browsers, crawlers, and API clients follow that new location automatically.


A 301 is a redirect, not an error. The server answers a request by pointing the client to a different URL. Browsers, crawlers, and API clients follow that new location automatically.

## When 301 redirects happen

- Forcing `https://` instead of `http://`
- Routing a test domain to the primary custom domain
- Moving content to a new path after a relaunch
- Normalizing the `www.` and the bare domain to a single host

## Browser caching

This is the one thing to know about 301: **browsers cache it hard, often permanently.** Once a browser has seen a 301 for an URL, it may stop asking the server about the original address at all and jump straight to the target.

That makes a 301 hard to take back. A wrong rule can stick in visitors' browsers for a long time, and there is no way to clear it remotely. Test redirect rules with `curl -I` or a private browser window before making them permanent.



```shell
$ curl -I https://example.frb.io
HTTP/2 301
location: https://www.your-domain.example/
```

When in doubt whether a redirect should be permanent, start with a [302](/dev/http-status-codes/others/302) and switch to 301 once the new URL is confirmed stable.

## SEO considerations

Search engines read a 301 as the signal to move a page's ranking to the new URL. For a permanent move this is the correct code: it consolidates link equity onto the target and updates the index over time.

- Use 301, not 302, when content moves for good, so the ranking follows.
- Redirect to the final URL in a single hop — avoid redirect chains.
- Set a canonical URL as well, so search engines know which address is the single source.

## Domain redirects on fortrabbit

Domain redirects configured in the dashboard use a 301. When a domain is set to forward to another domain, requests are answered with a permanent 301 to the target. See [domain forwarding](/platform/dns/domain-forwarding-service).

## Set up a 301

Most custom 301 redirects on fortrabbit are written in `.htaccess` with `mod_rewrite`. See [Redirects with .htaccess](/dev/htaccess/redirects) for force-https and domain redirect examples.

---

- [Redirects with .htaccess](/dev/htaccess/redirects)
- [Domain forwarding](/platform/dns/domain-forwarding-service)