{"id":47688,"date":"2023-04-05T10:03:15","date_gmt":"2023-04-05T10:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/glosario-digital\/302-redirect"},"modified":"2026-10-01T14:18:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T14:18:52","slug":"302-redirect","status":"publish","type":"encyclopedia","link":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/302-redirect","title":{"rendered":"302 Redirect"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Definition: <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"boxpad alignright wp-image-47920 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/302.jpg\" alt=\"302 redirect\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/302.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/302-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A <strong>302 redirect<\/strong> is an HTTP response indicating that the requested resource is temporarily available at another location. The server returns the `302 Found` status code and identifies the new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/url\">URL<\/a> in the `Location` header; the browser or another client may then request that destination.<\/p>\n<p>The original address remains the <strong>intended reference<\/strong> while the change is temporary. For search engines, this signal helps distinguish a temporary substitution from a permanent move, although final treatment also depends on duration, consistency, and other signals observed during crawling.<\/p>\n\n<h2>How a 302 redirect works<\/h2>\n<p>When a client requests an address, the server does not deliver the usual content and responds with the <strong>302 status<\/strong>. The `Location` header contains the destination, which may be on the same domain or a different one. The client follows that address and makes another request.<\/p>\n<p>The redirect operates at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/http\">HTTP<\/a> level, <strong>before the document<\/strong> is displayed. It is not equivalent to a link, a canonical tag, or a JavaScript update. A person will usually notice only the address change, whereas diagnostic tools can observe each response in the chain.<\/p>\n<p>For a `GET` request, the practical behavior of 302 and 307 is usually similar. After certain requests such as `POST`, clients may change the method to `GET` when following a 302. A 307 is used when the <strong>original method<\/strong> and request body must explicitly be preserved.<\/p>\n<h2>When it is used<\/h2>\n<p>A temporary redirect is used when the source URL is expected to recover its function or remain the primary reference. Common uses include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Temporary maintenance:<\/strong> sending visits to an available page while work is carried out on the original.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Controlled tests:<\/strong> displaying a variation during a limited experiment without communicating a permanent move.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Temporary availability:<\/strong> directing to an alternative while a product, service, or piece of content is unavailable.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Location or language:<\/strong> temporarily suggesting an adapted destination when a clear version switch remains available.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Transitional rules:<\/strong> applying a provisional route during a campaign, incident, or operational change.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Temporary status is not defined by a <strong>fixed number<\/strong> of days. A redirect maintained for a long period, chained with other redirects, or accompanied by conflicting signals may be interpreted differently by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/search-engine\">search engine<\/a>. If the destination is meant to replace the source permanently, a permanent signal is appropriate.<\/p>\n<h2>Difference from other codes<\/h2>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/301-redirect\">301 redirect<\/a> communicates a permanent move. Search engines will generally select the destination as the reference and consolidate signals associated with the source over time. With a 302, the declared intention is to retain the source as the primary URL while the destination performs a temporary role.<\/p>\n<p>The 303 and 307 codes are also temporary but define <strong>method handling<\/strong> more precisely. `303 See Other` directs the client to retrieve another resource with `GET`, while `307 Temporary Redirect` preserves the method and body. The choice is particularly relevant to forms, APIs, and operations that modify data.<\/p>\n<p>A redirect does not make the old page accessible to the person requesting it: while the <strong>rule is active<\/strong>, that request receives the redirect response. The original content can be served again after the rule is removed, provided that it remains available on the server.<\/p>\n<h2>Implementation methods<\/h2>\n<p>The response can be generated by the web server, application, content delivery network, or redirect manager. The specific configuration depends on the infrastructure:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>HTTP header:<\/strong> the application returns status 302 and a valid `Location` header.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Apache:<\/strong> an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/apache\">Apache<\/a> directive can declare `Redirect 302 \/source https:\/\/example.com\/destination`.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nginx:<\/strong> a rule can respond with `return 302 https:\/\/example.com\/destination`.<\/li>\n<li><strong>CMS:<\/strong> a plugin or module stores the mapping and generates the response from the application.<\/li>\n<li><strong>CDN or proxy:<\/strong> the edge layer applies the rule before the request reaches the origin server.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The destination should be an absolute URL or a valid reference for the environment in use. Broad rules need to preserve <strong>paths and parameters<\/strong> correctly when required; a poorly constructed substitution may send many different addresses to an irrelevant destination.<\/p>\n<h2>Verification and limitations<\/h2>\n<p>Verification examines the returned status, the `Location` header, the final destination, and the number of hops. Browser tools, `curl`, crawlers, and server logs can reveal <strong>redirect chains<\/strong>, loops, failed destinations, or rules that affect only certain user agents.<\/p>\n<p>Internal links, sitemaps, and canonical tags are also checked against the <strong>intended architecture<\/strong>. If the situation is temporary, these signals may continue to point to the source; if the move becomes permanent, they should be updated consistently with the new decision.<\/p>\n<p>A 302 does not by itself guarantee preserved rankings, traffic, or link value. Search engines process the relationship between the URLs using several signals and may treat a long-running redirect as a stable change. Its technical purpose is to communicate <strong>temporary status<\/strong>, not to ensure a particular SEO outcome.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Definition: A 302 redirect is an HTTP response indicating that the requested resource is temporarily available at another location. The server returns the `302 Found` status code and identifies the new URL in the `Location` header; the browser or another client may then request that destination. The original address remains the intended reference while the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":0,"template":"","encyclopedia-tag":[1262],"class_list":["post-47688","encyclopedia","type-encyclopedia","status-publish","hentry","encyclopedia-tag-http-status"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia\/47688","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/encyclopedia"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"encyclopedia-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia-tag?post=47688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}