Redirect Path Analyzer: Trace URL Redirect Chains and Audit HTTP Hops

Redirect Path Analyzer follows every hop in a URL's redirect chain and reports the full route to the final destination. Give it one URL or a list, and you get back each intermediate step with its HTTP status code, redirect type (301, 302, 303, 307, 308), and the final landing page. Good for SEO teams checking site migrations or anyone who needs to know the exact path a URL takes before it resolves.

Use cases

• Site migration audits: check that every old URL redirects to its new location after a domain move or rebuild
• SEO health checks: find redirect chains longer than three hops, which slow load times and dilute link equity
• Redirect loop detection: catch circular chains before they cause errors in browsers
• Pre-launch QA: confirm all planned redirects work before going live
• Bulk URL checking: audit hundreds of URLs at once and export results to a spreadsheet

Input

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
url	string		A single URL to analyze.
urls	array		List of URLs to analyze, one per line. Use for bulk audits.
maxUrls	integer	100	Maximum number of URLs to process per run.
maxRedirects	integer	20	Max redirect hops to follow per URL before stopping.
requestTimeoutSecs	integer	30	Timeout in seconds for each HTTP request.
timeoutSecs	integer	300	Overall actor run timeout in seconds.
proxyConfiguration	object	Datacenter (Anywhere)	Proxy type and location for requests. Optional.

Example input

{
    "urls": [
        "https://apify.com/pricing",
        "https://apify.com/blog"
    ],
    "maxUrls": 100,
    "maxRedirects": 20,
    "requestTimeoutSecs": 30,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true }
}

What data does this actor extract?

One result per input URL. Each result contains:

{
    "inputUrl": "https://apify.com/pricing",
    "finalUrl": "https://apify.com/pricing",
    "redirectCount": 0,
    "finalStatusCode": 200,
    "isRedirectLoop": false,
    "hops": [
        {
            "url": "https://apify.com/pricing",
            "statusCode": 200,
            "redirectLocation": null
        }
    ],
    "scrapedAt": "2025-03-08T12:00:00.000Z"
}

Field	Type	Description
inputUrl	string	The original URL submitted.
finalUrl	string	The final destination URL after all redirects.
redirectCount	integer	Number of redirect hops in the chain.
finalStatusCode	integer	HTTP status code of the final destination.
isRedirectLoop	boolean	True if a circular redirect was detected.
hops	array	Each hop in the chain with URL, status code, and redirect location header.
scrapedAt	string	ISO 8601 timestamp of the analysis.

How it works

1. Reads the input URL or URL list.
2. For each URL, sends an HTTP GET request without following redirects automatically.
3. If the response is a 301, 302, 303, 307, or 308, it follows the Location header to the next URL.
4. Repeats until a non-redirect response arrives, a loop is detected, or the max redirect limit is hit.
5. Saves the full chain, final URL, redirect count, and status codes to the dataset.

Integrations

Connect Redirect Path Analyzer with other apps using Apify integrations. Export directly to Google Sheets, push results to Slack, trigger Zapier workflows, or sync with Airbyte. You can also use webhooks to trigger actions whenever results are ready.

FAQ

How many URLs can I check per run? Up to 1,000 per run (set via maxUrls). For larger audits, split your list across multiple runs.

Can it detect redirect loops? Yes. It tracks every URL visited and sets isRedirectLoop: true if a URL appears twice in the same chain.

What redirect types does it handle? HTTP 301, 302, 303, 307, and 308. Meta refresh and JavaScript redirects are not followed since those require a browser.

Does it follow redirects across domains? Yes. It resolves relative redirect locations and follows cross-domain chains the same way a browser would.

Do I need proxies? Most sites do not block this kind of traffic, so proxies are optional. If a site throttles repeated requests, enable Datacenter proxies in the proxy configuration.

Run Redirect Path Analyzer before a migration or after a domain change to get a clear picture of how your URLs actually route to their destinations.