How to Fix Redirects in Cloudflare
Cloudflare offers four distinct redirect mechanisms: Page Rules (legacy), Bulk Redirects (high volume), Redirect Rules (modern), and Workers (custom logic). Choosing the right one matters. This guide covers Cloudflare redirect configuration. Pair with redirect checker guide.
Step-by-step: How to fix redirects in Cloudflare
- Understand the four mechanisms. Page Rules — legacy, limited to 3 free / 20 paid, being deprecated. Bulk Redirects — high-volume (up to 100K-1M+ depending on plan), simple URL-to-URL mappings. Redirect Rules — modern replacement for Page Rules, more flexible, included in all plans. Workers — JavaScript at edge for complex logic. Choose by use case.
- For simple bulk redirects use Bulk Redirects. Cloudflare → Rules → Bulk Redirects. Upload CSV: source URL, target URL, status code (301 or 302), preserve query string flag. Scales to hundreds of thousands. Best for migrations or large redirect lists.
- For pattern-based redirects use Redirect Rules. Cloudflare → Rules → Redirect Rules. Conditions (URL contains/equals/regex) + actions (redirect to URL with status). Modern interface. Best for: www → non-www, HTTP → HTTPS, mobile redirects, geo-redirects.
- For complex logic use Workers. Custom JavaScript at edge. Conditional redirects based on user agent, cookie, geolocation, query strings, A/B test cohort. Most powerful, requires development. $5/month for 10M requests.
- Configure status code correctly. 301 for permanent. 302 for temporary. 307/308 for HTTP method preservation (rare). Default: 302 in Cloudflare UI — change to 301 explicitly for SEO redirects.
- Resolve edge vs origin conflicts. Cloudflare runs at edge (before origin). If origin server (Apache, nginx) also has redirects, both can fire — chain. Audit: pick one layer for each redirect. Cloudflare typically faster (edge response, no origin hit) but origin redirects persist if you ever bypass Cloudflare.
- Test. curl -I -L through Cloudflare. Test with Cloudflare cache bypass (Page Rules cache bypass on test URL) to ensure rules apply. Cloudflare's redirect Rules section has a 'Test' button for individual rules.
☁️ Audit Cloudflare redirects
Test redirect configuration on your Cloudflare account.
Run Redirect Audit →Frequently Asked Questions
Cloudflare Page Rules being deprecated — what's next?
Cloudflare announced Page Rules deprecation in 2024 with Bulk Redirects and Redirect Rules as replacements. Migration timeline extended; existing Page Rules continue working but new sites should use Redirect Rules instead. For most use cases: Redirect Rules has feature parity and better UX.
Free Cloudflare plan redirect limits?
Free plan: 3 Page Rules, 10 Redirect Rules, no Bulk Redirects (paid feature). For most small sites, 10 Redirect Rules is sufficient. Larger redirect needs require paid plan (Pro $20/month, Business $200/month) with higher limits.
Should I redirect at Cloudflare or at origin?
Cloudflare (edge) is faster — response from CDN edge, no origin round-trip. Better user experience. Origin redirects persist even if Cloudflare bypassed (e.g., direct origin URL access). Best of both: Cloudflare for production redirects, origin as failsafe for critical redirects in case Cloudflare misconfigured.
How do I redirect specific user agents on Cloudflare?
Workers — JavaScript checks request.headers.get('user-agent') and returns appropriate Response.redirect(). Can't be done with Page Rules or Bulk Redirects (URL-only mechanisms). Workers $5/month for 10M requests; most sites well under. Common use: mobile-only redirects, geo-blocks for compliance, A/B testing.
Best practice for migrating 10,000+ redirects to Cloudflare?
Bulk Redirects with CSV upload. Format: source URL, target URL, status code. Test 20-50 entries first; verify pattern. Upload in batches (Cloudflare may rate-limit very large uploads). Verify post-upload with sampling.