# Redirect Generator Turn a list of old and new URLs into redirect rules for lobsite.toml, Netlify, Vercel, Nginx and Apache .htaccess, with loops and chains caught. Use it at https://lobsite.com/tools/redirect-generator ## How to use it 1. Paste your redirects, one per line: the old path, the new path or URL, and optionally the status (301 when you leave it out). 2. Pick where they're going: `lobsite.toml`, Netlify or Cloudflare Pages (`_redirects`), Vercel (`vercel.json`), Nginx, or Apache (`.htaccess`). 3. Fix anything the checks find, try a few paths in the box below, then copy or download the rules. Moving from Netlify or Cloudflare Pages? Paste your `_redirects` file as it is. ## Patterns - `:name` matches one path segment and can be used in the target: `/blog/:slug /posts/:slug`. - A final `*` matches the rest of the path, which is `:splat` in the target: `/docs/* /guide/:splat`. - The query string is passed on to the new address. - Rules are checked from the top and the first match wins, so put specific rules before general ones. The same rules work in [lobsite.toml](https://lobsite.com/docs#config). For Nginx and Apache, patterns become regular expressions with numbered groups. ## Which status to use - **301** (permanent): the page has moved for good. Search engines move its ranking to the new address. Use this for most site moves. - **302** (temporary): the original address will come back, such as during a sale or maintenance. - **308** and **307**: the permanent and temporary versions that keep the request method, for forms and APIs that POST to the old address. ## Loops and chains A **loop** (`/a → /b → /a`) means the page never loads. A **chain** (`/a → /b → /c`) works, but each hop adds a round trip and search engines may stop following after a few. The generator catches both, along with duplicate rules, where only the first one is used. ## Frequently asked questions ### How many redirects can I have? `lobsite.toml` takes up to 1,000 rules. For whole sections, use a pattern like `/old-blog/* /blog/:splat` instead of one rule per page. ### Can the old address be a full URL? Paste it and the generator keeps just the path: redirects apply to the site they're deployed with. To move a whole domain, point it at the new site and redirect there. ### Do redirects work without server access? On Lobsite, Netlify, Vercel and Cloudflare Pages they're part of the deploy, so no server access is needed. On a plain file host, the fallback is a page with ``, which search engines treat like a redirect. ### Is anything sent to a server? No. The rules are checked and written in your browser.