📌 Purpose & Quick Summary

The Redirects module allows you to forward web traffic from one domain, subdirectory, or URL path to another destination URL. BoostonCP supports standard HTTP 301 Moved Permanently redirects (ideal for SEO and domain migration) and 302 Found / Temporary redirects. Redirection rules are compiled directly into the edge Nginx reverse proxy, ensuring lightning-fast execution without loading heavy application or PHP layers.

BoostonCP Redirects Management Overview

Figure 5: Redirects dashboard showing active redirect rules, redirection types, and rule creation form.

🖥️ Interface Tour & Elements

  1. Summary Status Counters:
    • Active Redirects: Count of standard active domain and path forwarding rules.
    • Wildcard Redirects: Count of rules matching all subdirectories and sub-paths dynamically.
    • Total Redirects: Cumulative count of compiled redirection rules.
  2. Add Redirect Form:
    • Domain Dropdown: Select the source domain configured on your account.
    • Redirect Path Input: Specific source sub-path to match (e.g. /old-store or leave blank for root).
    • Type Selector: Toggle between 301 Permanent and 302 Temporary.
    • Destination URL: Target URL where visitors will be routed (e.g. https://newbrand.com/store).
    • Wildcard Redirect Toggle: Preserves full file/folder path extensions during routing.
  3. Active Redirects Table: Displays Source Domain, Path, Redirect Type badge, Target Destination, Wildcard status, and Delete action buttons.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Creating a 301 Permanent Redirect

  1. In the sidebar, click Redirects (icon: fa-exchange-alt).
  2. In the Add Redirect panel:
    • Select your source domain from the Domain dropdown.
    • In Redirect Path, enter /old-page (or leave / to redirect the entire domain).
    • Set Type to 301 Permanent.
    • In Destination URL, type the full destination address including https:// (e.g. https://example.com/new-page).
  3. Click Add Redirect. The rule is deployed immediately.

Step 2: Configuring a Wildcard Path Redirect

  1. If you are migrating an entire website and want every URL preserved (e.g. oldsite.com/blog/article-1 -> newsite.com/blog/article-1):
  2. Select your source domain.
  3. Leave Redirect Path as /.
  4. Enter the new root address in Destination URL (https://newsite.com).
  5. Toggle the Wildcard Redirect switch to ON.
  6. Click Add Redirect. All nested requests are now forwarded cleanly with identical URI parameters.

Step 3: Deleting a Redirect Rule

  1. In the Active Redirects table, locate the rule you wish to remove.
  2. Click the Delete button in the Actions column.
  3. Confirm the prompt to immediately remove the redirection rule from the Nginx proxy.

⚙️ Complete Field & Parameter Reference Table

Configuration Parameter Type / Format Options SEO & Technical Implication
Source Domain Dropdown selection Active account domains The incoming domain name evaluated by the Nginx server_name directive.
Redirect Path Text string e.g. /old-path The URI location matched before initiating redirection.
Redirect Type Radio selector 301 Permanent, 302 Temporary 301: Passes 99% SEO link equity; browser caches response.
302: Temporary; does not transfer link equity; uncached.
Destination URL URL string Must start with http:// or https:// The exact target endpoint where the client browser will be instructed to navigate.
Wildcard Match Boolean toggle Enabled / Disabled Appends whatever URI path followed the source domain to the destination URL.

❓ Troubleshooting & Common Errors

1. Browser Loops in "Too Many Redirects" (ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS)

  • Cause: You configured a redirect from example.com to example.com (pointing to itself), or created conflicting HTTPS enforcement rules.
  • Solution: Check the Active Redirects table and ensure the destination URL is not pointing back to the source domain. Delete any circular rules.

2. Destination URL Missing HTTPS

  • Cause: Entering example.com without https:// can cause the redirect to fail or default to insecure HTTP.
  • Solution: Always enter the complete, valid URL format starting with https://.