H
HTTPSense

Redirect Inspector

Follow redirect chains and inspect every hop with headers, timing, and TLS info.

What is a Redirect Inspector or Redirect Checker?

A redirect inspector is a tool that follows HTTP redirect chains from start to finish, showing every intermediate hop along the way. When a browser visits a URL, the server may respond with a redirect status code (301, 302, 307, or 308) pointing to a different URL — and that URL may redirect again. This chain can be several hops long and difficult to trace manually.

HTTPSense's Redirect Inspector makes real HTTP requests to each URL in the chain and records the status code, response headers, TLS details, and timing at every step. It also detects non-HTTP redirects such as HTML meta refresh tags and JavaScript-based redirects that other tools miss. Redirects are a URL-level concern — different paths on the same domain can redirect very differently — so each check is tied to the exact URL you submit. The tool is free and requires no signup.

How to Use the Redirect Inspector

  1. Enter any URL or shortened link (e.g., bit.ly/example) in the input field above.
  2. Click Inspect Redirects to start the analysis.
  3. Review the redirect chain in the Overview tab — a visual flow showing each hop with status codes and URLs.
  4. Switch to the Headers tab to see full request and response headers at each step.
  5. Use the Timing tab to identify slow hops, or the Raw tab to copy the full JSON response.

How the Redirect Inspector Works

When you submit a URL, the Redirect Inspector validates and normalises it, then issues an HTTP request with manual redirect handling. At each hop it records the status code, request and response headers, request/response timing (DNS, TCP connect, TLS handshake, TTFB, transfer), and — for HTTPS — the negotiated TLS version and cipher.

After each response, the body is scanned for HTML <meta http-equiv="refresh"> tags and a curated set of JavaScript redirect patterns (window.location, location.href, location.replace). The chain stops at a non-3xx response, a redirect loop, or a configurable hop ceiling.

Every outbound destination is validated against an SSRF allow-list to prevent requests to private or internal addresses. We do not execute arbitrary JavaScript, so SPA-only client-side routing is not followed.

Key Features

  • •Full chain visualization — See every hop from the initial URL to the final destination with status codes and URLs in a visual flow diagram.
  • •All redirect types — Detects HTTP redirects (301, 302, 307, 308), HTML meta refresh, and JavaScript-based redirects, and labels each hop as permanent or temporary.
  • •Per-hop timing — DNS lookup, TCP connect, TLS handshake, TTFB, and transfer time at each step to identify bottlenecks.
  • •Security warnings — Flags HTTPS→HTTP downgrades and other risky chain patterns in the result summary.
  • •Full headers — Request and response headers for every hop, including caching, security, and server headers.
  • •SSRF protection — All redirect destinations are validated to prevent requests to private or internal network addresses.

Common Use Cases

  • •SEO specialists — Verify that 301 redirects are correctly configured after a site migration, ensuring link equity is preserved and redirect chains are minimal.
  • •DevOps engineers — Debug redirect loops or unexpected chains in staging before deploying to production.
  • •Marketing teams — Audit shortened URLs (bit.ly, t.co) to see exactly where they lead and how many hops they take.
  • •Affiliate marketers — Analyse a redirect chain to identify every middle party in the funnel and create direct links that bypass intermediaries for higher commissions.
  • •Security analysts — Investigate suspicious links by tracing the full redirect chain without following them in a browser.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Redirect Inspector follow JavaScript redirects?

Yes — we parse the response body for HTML meta refresh tags and a curated set of common JavaScript redirect patterns (window.location, location.href, location.replace). We do not execute arbitrary JavaScript in a headless browser, so SPA-style client-side routing is not followed.

Is it free? Do I need to sign up?

Yes, the Redirect Inspector is completely free. There is no signup, account, or API key required.

How many hops will it follow?

Up to 20 hops by default. The chain stops on a redirect loop, a non-3xx response, or when the hop ceiling is reached.

Why does my browser go somewhere different?

Browsers honour cookies, cached responses, prior session state, and JavaScript on the page. Our inspector starts from a clean state and does not execute page JavaScript, which can change the final destination.

How is this different from running curl -L?

curl -L only follows HTTP-level redirects (3xx). We additionally detect meta refresh and JavaScript-based redirects, surface per-hop timing, TLS, request/response headers, and visualise the chain.