Free Redirect Rule Generator for nginx & Apache
The Novaverb redirect rule generator turns a list of old and new URLs into nginx, Apache .htaccess or Cloudflare Bulk Redirects rules. Chains, loops and duplicate sources are flagged before you deploy.
One rule per line: the old path, then a space, tab or comma, then the new path. Lines starting with # are ignored.
Cloudflare Bulk Redirects needs absolute URLs, so the origin is prefixed to any path you entered.
Turn output into a monitored workflow
A Novaverb workspace crawls your live site, keeps what it finds, tracks changes over time and turns findings into assigned work.
What is a redirect rule generator?
A redirect rule generator is a tool that converts a list of old and new URLs into the redirect syntax a web server understands. The Novaverb Redirect Rule Generator writes nginx, Apache .htaccess or Cloudflare Bulk Redirects rules from a single map, and reads that map for chains and loops before formatting anything.
What does the redirect rule generator create?
The redirect rule generator creates a rules file for the server you pick. For nginx the output is a map block with a return statement for the server block. For Apache the output is a set of RewriteRule lines for .htaccess. For Cloudflare Bulk Redirects the output is a CSV with source, target and status columns.
Who is the redirect rule generator for?
The redirect rule generator is for anyone moving URLs. An SEO running a site migration holds a spreadsheet of old and new paths and needs deployable rules. A developer changing a URL structure wants exact matches without hand-writing patterns. A site owner renaming a few pages needs the right syntax for the server in use.
Why use a redirect rule generator?
A redirect rule generator catches a broken map before the file reaches the server. A plain formatter will write a chain, a loop or a duplicate source without complaint. This one reports each of those above the output with the exact URLs involved, so the map can be flattened before deployment instead of after a crawl.
How does the redirect rule generator work?
The redirect rule generator works in a fixed order. Paste the map, with the old path and the new path on each line. Pick the server and the status code. The tool parses every line, checks the map for duplicate sources, chains, loops and self-redirects, then writes the rules for copying or download.
Write the map once, get the rules for your server
Paste your old and new paths, pick the server you actually run, and the syntax is generated for you. nginx is offered first because its config is where most redirect mistakes are made - an .htaccess file has no effect at all on an nginx server, which is the single most common reason a redirect map appears to do nothing.
Which status code to use
Use 301 when the move is permanent and you want the old URL's ranking signals to transfer. Use 302 only when the old URL will genuinely come back. 307 and 308 are the strict versions: they keep the request method, so a POST stays a POST instead of becoming a GET. For ordinary page moves, 301 is the right answer.
Chains and loops are checked before the rules are written
If one rule's target is another rule's source, the visitor is sent through two hops and part of the link value is spent on the way. If two rules point at each other, nobody arrives at all. Both are reported above the output, with the exact URLs involved, so they can be flattened before the file reaches the server.
What this tool cannot tell you
- Whether the target URLs exist. Nothing here is fetched - a rule pointing at a 404 is generated exactly as written.
- Whether an old URL had traffic or links worth preserving. That comes from your own analytics and Search Console.
- Whether the rules are being served once deployed. Run the free HTTP Status & Redirect Checker against the old URLs afterwards - a generated rule is an intention, and only a live response is evidence.
What do you enter into the redirect rule generator?
The redirect rule generator takes one rule per line: the old path, then a space, tab or comma, then the new path. Lines starting with # are ignored. A line holding a single value cannot be read as a rule, so the tool skips that line and names its line number in a warning.
What does the redirect rule generator output contain?
The redirect rule generator output contains a rule count, a set of flags and the generated file. Flags name loops and self-redirects as errors, and duplicate sources, chains and unreadable lines as warnings. The file is named nginx-redirects.conf, .htaccess or cloudflare-redirects.csv, depending on the server selected, and can be copied or downloaded.
How do you use the redirect rule generator output?
Use the redirect rule generator output only after the flags are resolved. A chain means the target of a rule is the source of another, so point the first source straight at the final target. A loop means nobody arrives, so remove a side. With duplicate sources only the first rule can run, so delete the later lines.
Where does the redirect rule generator run?
The redirect rule generator runs in the browser. Parsing, the chain check and the file generation all happen on the page, and the redirect map is not uploaded. The tool reads only the lines pasted into the form and the options chosen. No old or new URL is requested at any point.
What does the redirect rule generator not tell you?
The redirect rule generator does not tell you whether a target URL exists, because nothing is fetched. A rule pointing at a missing page is generated exactly as written. The tool also cannot say whether an old URL had traffic or links worth preserving, or whether the rules are being served after deployment.
What does a redirect rule generator result prove?
A redirect rule generator result proves the map is internally consistent when no flag is raised: no listed source points at another listed source, at itself or around a loop. The result proves nothing about the live site. A generated rule is an intention, and only a live response from the old URL is evidence.
Which rules does the redirect rule generator apply?
The redirect rule generator applies the rule syntax of the chosen server: an nginx map with a return statement, Apache mod_rewrite RewriteRule lines, or the Cloudflare Bulk Redirects CSV layout. The status code is 301, 308, 302 or 307. Every rule matches a listed URL, and no folder pattern is generated.
How can you verify a redirect rule generator result yourself?
Verify a redirect rule generator result by requesting the old URLs once the rules are deployed. Each old URL should answer with the chosen status code and land on the new URL in a single hop. The free HTTP Status & Redirect Checker runs that trace, and a header request from a terminal shows the same response.
What does a typical redirect rule generator finding look like?
A typical redirect rule generator finding is a chain left over from an earlier move. The map sends an old blog path to a newer path, and a later line sends that newer path somewhere else again. The tool prints the full sequence as a chain, so the first source can be pointed straight at the final target.
Is the redirect rule generator free?
The redirect rule generator is free and needs no account. Every server format, status code and option is available on the page. A free Novaverb account is needed only for what follows deployment: crawling the live site, confirming the redirects are actually served and keeping that evidence over time.
What does a Novaverb workspace add to the redirect rule generator?
A Novaverb workspace adds a crawl of the live site to the rules the redirect rule generator wrote. Crawl Explorer reads the status codes retrieved from the site's own pages and offers a view of status class and redirect health, filtered to the affected URLs. A fix is confirmed by re-crawling, not assumed.
When is a free redirect rule generator not enough?
A free redirect rule generator is not enough when the question concerns the live site. Chains created by rules already on the server, old URLs the map never listed and redirects that break after a later release are visible only in a whole-site crawl that is repeated over time.
What should you do after running the redirect rule generator?
After running the redirect rule generator, clear every flag first. Confirm which server the site runs, because .htaccess rules have no effect on an nginx server. Deploy the file, then test the old URLs with the HTTP Status & Redirect Checker. Review analytics and Search Console for old URLs worth adding to the map.
Which free tools pair with the redirect rule generator?
The redirect rule generator pairs with the HTTP Status & Redirect Checker, which traces live status codes and redirect chains once the rules are deployed. Text Compare shows every added and removed line between the redirect map already in use and the version about to ship. The XML Sitemap Generator builds a sitemap from the new URLs.
What do people ask about the redirect rule generator?
Questions about the redirect rule generator cover why nginx is listed before Apache, whether to choose 301 or 302 and what a redirect chain is. Others ask whether a whole folder can be redirected at once, whether the query string survives the redirect, whether the redirect map is uploaded and whether the tool is free.
Why is nginx listed before Apache?
Because most modern hosting runs nginx, and because .htaccess rules are silently ignored on an nginx server - the file sits there looking correct while every old URL keeps returning 404. If you are not certain which server you run, check a response header or ask your host before choosing.
Should I use 301 or 302?
301 for a permanent move, which is nearly always what a site migration or a URL change is. 302 tells search engines to keep the old URL indexed because it is coming back, so using it for a permanent move leaves the old URL in the index and the new one without the signals it should have inherited.
What is a redirect chain and why does it matter?
A chain is when A redirects to B and B redirects to C. The visitor still arrives, but every hop costs time, some crawlers stop following after a few, and a little link value is lost at each step. Point A straight at C. This tool reports a chain as soon as one appears in your map.
Can I redirect a whole folder at once?
This tool generates one rule per URL, which is the safe default: a pattern that moves a folder can catch URLs you did not intend. If you do need a pattern, write it by hand in the generated file and test it against the URLs that must not match.
Does the query string survive the redirect?
Only if you leave the option on. With it on, the generated rules pass the original query string through to the target, which matters for tracking parameters and paginated URLs. With it off, the visitor lands on the clean target URL.
Is my redirect map uploaded?
No. The parsing, the chain check and the file generation all happen in your browser. A redirect map often describes an unreleased site structure, so nothing is sent anywhere.
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
No. This generator runs fully client-side in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to a server, so it is safe to use on private content.
Is it really free?
Yes, with no account. A Novaverb workspace is only needed when you want your live site crawled, the results kept and changes tracked over time.