Browsers and web servers communicate using an application protocol called Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Every time visitors access a web page, the browser sends a resource request to the web server, allowing them to view the content.
However, in the event of an error, web browsers will return a blank page with an HTTP code instead of the web content. One of the HTTP status codes you may encounter is the 302 found redirect, which generates a temporary redirect.
Typically, website owners use this redirect to drive traffic to a new URL when the website is under heavy maintenance. However, due to the complexity of HTTP status codes, the server and client may process the wrong 302 response code.
With this in mind, we’ll go over the steps to diagnose and fix unexpected 302 errors. We’ll also look at the impact they can have on SEO.
First, let’s start with a more detailed explanation of the HTTP 302 redirect.
Error codeError 302 Foundbug typeredirectVariations of the errorHTTP 302 Error
HTTP Error Code 302
302 Status Code
HTTP 302 Redirect
HTTP Response 302Cause of errorBad request sent by the server
What is the HTTP code 302?
Status codes indicate whether the HTTP request was successful. To help you identify them correctly, take a look at the five HTTP status codes below:
- 1xx – requests for information
- 2xx – successful requests
- 3xx – redirects
- 4xx – client errors
- 5xx – server errors
Therefore, an HTTP status code starting with “3” indicates that your web browser needs to take further action to satisfy the request.
HTTP code 302 occurs when the requested resource has been temporarily moved to a new location. Therefore, the system automatically redirects visitors to a URL that has the resource.
HTTP redirection begins when the web server hosting the content returns a 3xx status code and a location header containing the new URL. Once the web browser receives this response, it automatically loads the URL instead of displaying the .
Since the current redirect directive can change, the web server must maintain the initial URL to process future requests. This causes the user agent or web browser to deliver the original request to the URL attached in the location header.
One of the most common uses of the HTTP 302 status code is localization. For example, when you access https://www.google.com/, the browser redirects you to the localized version of Google, depending on your country.
So, if you live in India, the answer 302 found will take you to https://www.google.co.in/ to facilitate access to local content. Big companies like eBay Y amazon they also use 302 redirects to direct traffic to a local server.
5 Methods to Fix Status Code 302
The 302 found response specifies that the requested resource has been temporarily moved to a new location. That said, a server may misunderstand and send incorrect HTTP 302 codes instead of passing an informative or successful request.
For this reason, we’ve included the five methods for diagnosing why the wrong 302 found response is being sent, along with steps to fix it.
1. Restore the site from a backup
Creating a full backup of a website before making any changes to the system is crucial.
A you can prevent data loss, security breaches and malware infection. In that sense, the first step you can take is to restore your site to its stable state.
To do this, access your hosting control panel. customers can go to the control panel of hPanel and navigate to Files -> Backups.
Upon clicking, various types of saved backups will be displayed. If you use WordPress or another , you will have to restore both the files and the .
To get started, click the button Select bass File backupschoose the backup date and click Next step. If you want to restore the entire site, choose the folder public_html and click Restore files.
The next step is to restore your database. Start by selecting the option Database backupschoose the database to restore and click show databases.
You’ll see a list of available backup dates. Choose the desired date and click Restore.
The system will start downloading the backups and will notify you once it is done.
After the restore process is complete, all changes made up to the date of the backup will be reverted. Therefore, the HTTP 302 code should be gone.
2. Deactivate outdated software
Internet standards are documented by a request for comments (RFC). In this sense, the RFC specification for HTTP 1.0 states that the function of the 302 found response code is to instruct the web browser to perform a temporary redirect.
If HTTP status code 302 is delivered via request, the web browser should not redirect the content without user confirmation. However, many modern browsers automatically process this HTTP 302 code as a request. .
When this happens, the software that processes the request cannot perform the correct redirect. As a result, the RFC document of HTTP 1.1 include the code 303 See Other to specifically handle post to get requests.
For this reason, we recommend disabling outdated software that does not comply with the HTTP RFC 1.1. In this way, you will prevent visitors from seeing irrelevant content on your website.
3. Inspect the web server configuration
Another step you can take to fix the 302 redirect error is to inspect your web server configuration. The two most popular programs are and Apache, so it is very likely that your web applications will run on one of them.
Next, we will go over the steps to inspect the configuration files in both programs.
Apache
To identify which one your website is using, you will need to look for a key file that regulates the features of the site. In the case of , you can start by locating the file .htaccess (for hypertext access) in your root directory.
Simply go to your hosting control panel and open the File Manager -> public_html.
Once you have , open it with a text editor.
From there, you will see a series of directives RewriteXXX that handle HTTP redirects and permalink structures. Pay special attention to these two:
- RewriteRule: defines the rules for the rewrite engine.
- RewriteCond: Determines if the requested URL matches the condition of the defined rule.
If the request has a matching URL, the RewriteRule following the directives RewriteCond will initiate a temporary redirect to the correct URL.
Here’s an example of running a proper temporary 302 redirect:
RewriteEngine on RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^website\.com$ RewriteRule ^(.*)$ HTTP://www.temporary-website.com/$1
In the example above, the combination of RewriteCond Y RewriteRule matches requests to website.com. Therefore, the system generates a temporary redirect to the same URL in the temporary website.com domain.
Notice the extra flag that follows the directive RewriteRule – indicates that the response code delivered must be a 302 found. This causes user agents to perform a temporary redirect.
If there are strange rewrite directives in the file .htaccessGo ahead and comment. Do it by adding a prefix # in front of the line you comment. Once you’re done, try restarting the web server to see if the 302 error has been resolved.
Nginx
If your website works with Nginx, you must locate a different key file. instead of a file .htaccessfind the file nginx.conf located in the following directories:
- /usr/local/nginx/conf
- /etc/nginx
- /usr/local/etc/nginx
Once you’ve found the file, open it via your text editor, and look for rewrite directives that include a flag of redirection.
To understand how the Nginx system works, take a look at the example of ablock directive which appears below:
server { listen 80; listen 443 ssl; server_name www.example.com; rewrite ^/$ http://www.temporary-example.com redirect; }
The rewrite directives in Nginx work in a similar way to those in Apache. A set of directives in the example above regulates a virtual server by generating a temporary HTTP redirection of example.com a temporary-example.com.
To make sure everything is working properly on your Nginx server, try to spot any unusual rewrite directives that contain a flag of redirection. Comment out these lines and reboot your system to see if the issue is resolved.
4. Clear error logs
Recent changes and updates can also cause the 302 found code. Therefore, after completing one, do not forget to check your website’s error log.
Most web applications will have server logs attached to the actual hardware they are running on. These record every activity performed, from providing a history of the pages requested to collecting user-specific information.
Typically, hosting providers give access to activation server logs through the users control panel. However, you can also enable error logging on your WordPress site using the constant WP_DEBUG of PHP, which generates the debugging process throughout the site.
To get started, copy and paste the following lines into your file:
define( ‘WP_DEBUG’, true ); define( ‘WP_DEBUG_LOG’, true ); define( ‘WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY’, false );
Once you’re done, all logged errors will appear in the wp-content/debug.log filewhich will make it easier for you to identify the component that is causing the unexpected temporary redirects.
Professional Tip
You can manually locate applications on your server and review all application logs. This will help you determine the irregularities in the application code and show you the cause of the 302 response code.
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Also, if you want to check the error log in the software, access the following file as appropriate:
- Nginx server: /var/log/nginx/error.log/
- Apache server: /var/log/apache2/error.log/
5. Temporarily uninstall or disable new plugins or themes
The most common cause of WordPress website errors is conflicting plugins or themes. In some cases, a plugin may try to set up redirects that conflict with…
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