How do I make a redirect in PHP?

Question

Is it possible to redirect a user to a different page through the use of PHP?

Say the user goes to www.example.com/page.php and I want to redirect them to www.example.com/index.php, how would I do so without the use of a meta refresh? Is it possible?

This could even protect my pages from unauthorized users.

Answer 1

Summary of existing answers plus my own two cents:

1. Basic answer

You can use the header() function to send a new HTTP header, but this must be sent to the browser before any HTML or text (so before the <!DOCTYPE ...> declaration, for example).

header('Location: '.$newURL);

2. Important details

die() or exit()

header("Location: https://example.com/myOtherPage.php");
die();

Why you should use die() or exit(): The Daily WTF

Absolute or relative URL

Since June 2014 both absolute and relative URLs can be used. See RFC 7231 which had replaced the old RFC 2616, where only absolute URLs were allowed.

Status Codes

PHP's "Location"-header still uses the HTTP 302-redirect code, this is a "temporary" redirect and may not be the one you should use. You should consider either 301 (permanent redirect) or 303 (other).

Note: W3C mentions that the 303-header is incompatible with "many pre-HTTP/1.1 user agents. Currently used browsers are all HTTP/1.1 user agents. This is not true for many other user agents like spiders and robots.

3. Documentation

HTTP Headers and the header() function in PHP

• What the PHP manual says
• What Wikipedia says
• What the W3C says

4. Alternatives

You may use the alternative method of http_redirect($url); which needs the PECL package pecl to be installed.

5. Helper Functions

This function doesn't incorporate the 303 status code:

function Redirect($url, $permanent = false)
{
    header('Location: ' . $url, true, $permanent ? 301 : 302);

    exit();
}

Redirect('https://example.com/', false);

This is more flexible:

function redirect($url, $statusCode = 303)
{
   header('Location: ' . $url, true, $statusCode);
   die();
}

6. Workaround

As mentioned header() redirects only work before anything is written out. They usually fail if invoked inmidst HTML output. Then you might use a HTML header workaround (not very professional!) like:

 <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0;url=finalpage.html">

Or a JavaScript redirect even.

window.location.replace("https://example.com/");

Answer 2

Use the header() function to send an HTTP Location header:

header('Location: '.$newURL);

Contrary to what some think, die() has nothing to do with redirection. Use it only if you want to redirect instead of normal execution.

File example.php:

<?php
    header('Location: static.html');
    $fh = fopen('/tmp/track.txt', 'a');
    fwrite($fh, $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'] . ' ' . date('c') . "\n");
    fclose($fh);
?>

Result of three executions:

bart@hal9k:~> cat /tmp/track.txt
127.0.0.1 2009-04-21T09:50:02+02:00
127.0.0.1 2009-04-21T09:50:05+02:00
127.0.0.1 2009-04-21T09:50:08+02:00

Resuming — obligatory die()/exit() is some urban legend that has nothing to do with actual PHP. It has nothing to do with client "respecting" the Location: header. Sending a header does not stop PHP execution, regardless of the client used.

Answer 3

function Redirect($url, $permanent = false)
{
    if (headers_sent() === false)
    {
        header('Location: ' . $url, true, ($permanent === true) ? 301 : 302);
    }

    exit();
}

Redirect('http://www.google.com/', false);

Don't forget to die() / exit() !

Answer 4

Output JavaScript from PHP using echo, which will do the job.

echo '<script type="text/javascript">
           window.location = "http://www.google.com/"
      </script>';

You can't really do it in PHP unless you buffer the page output and then later check for redirect condition. That might be too much of a hassle. Remember that headers are the first thing that is sent from the page. Most of the redirect is usually required later in the page. For that you have to buffer all the output of the page and check for redirect condition later. At that point you can either redirect page user header() or simply echo the buffered output.

For more about buffering (advantages)

What is output buffering?

Answer 5

1. Without header

here you will not face any problem

 <?php echo "<script>location.href='target-page.php';</script>"; ?>

2. Using header function with exit()

<?php 
     header('Location: target-page.php');
     exit();
?>

but if you use header function then some times you will get "warning like header already send" to resolve that do not echo or print before sending headers or you can simply use die() or exit() after header function.

3. Using header function with ob_start() and ob_end_flush()

<?php
ob_start(); //this should be first line of your page
header('Location: target-page.php');
ob_end_flush(); //this should be last line of your page
?>

Answer 6

Most of these answers are forgetting a very important step!

header("Location: myOtherPage.php");
die();

Leaving that vital second line out might see you end up on The Daily WTF. The problem is that browsers do not have to respect the headers which your page return, so with headers being ignored, the rest of the page will be executed without a redirect.

Answer 7

Use:

<?php header('Location: another-php-file.php'); exit(); ?>

Or if you've already opened PHP tags, use this:

header('Location: another-php-file.php'); exit();

You can also redirect to external pages, e.g.:

header('Location: https://www.google.com'); exit();

Make sure you include exit() or include die().

Answer 8

You can use session variables to control access to pages and authorize valid users as well:

<?php
    session_start();

    if (!isset( $_SESSION["valid_user"]))
    {
        header("location:../");
        exit();
    }

    // Page goes here
?>

http://php.net/manual/en/reserved.variables.session.php.

Recently, I got cyber attacks and decided, I needed to know the users trying to access the Admin Panel or reserved part of the web Application.

So, I added a log access for the IP address and user sessions in a text file, because I don't want to bother my database.

Answer 9

Many of these answers are correct, but they assume you have an absolute URL, which may not be the case. If you want to use a relative URL and generate the rest, then you can do something like this...

$url = 'http://' . $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'];            // Get the server
$url .= rtrim(dirname($_SERVER['PHP_SELF']), '/\\'); // Get the current directory
$url .= '/your-relative/path-goes/here/';            // <-- Your relative path
header('Location: ' . $url, true, 302);              // Use either 301 or 302

Answer 10

header( 'Location: http://www.yoursite.com/new_page.html' );

Answer 11

Use the following code:

header("Location: /index.php");
exit(0);   

Answer 12

I've already answered this question, but I'll do it again since in the meanwhile I've learnt that there are special cases if you're running in CLI (redirects cannot happen and thus shouldn't exit()) or if your webserver is running PHP as a (F)CGI (it needs a previously set Status header to properly redirect).

function Redirect($url, $code = 302)
{
    if (strncmp('cli', PHP_SAPI, 3) !== 0)
    {
        if (headers_sent() !== true)
        {
            if (strlen(session_id()) > 0) // If using sessions
            {
                session_regenerate_id(true); // Avoids session fixation attacks
                session_write_close(); // Avoids having sessions lock other requests
            }

            if (strncmp('cgi', PHP_SAPI, 3) === 0)
            {
                header(sprintf('Status: %03u', $code), true, $code);
            }

            header('Location: ' . $url, true, (preg_match('~^30[1237]$~', $code) > 0) ? $code : 302);
        }

        exit();
    }
}

I've also handled the issue of supporting the different HTTP redirection codes (301, 302, 303 and 307), as it was addressed in the comments of my previous answer. Here are the descriptions:

• 301 - Moved Permanently
• 302 - Found
• 303 - See Other
• 307 - Temporary Redirect (HTTP/1.1)

Answer 13

To redirect the visitor to another page (particularly useful in a conditional loop), simply use the following code:

<?php
    header('Location: mypage.php');
?>

In this case, mypage.php is the address of the page to which you would like to redirect the visitors. This address can be absolute and may also include the parameters in this format: mypage.php?param1=val1&m2=val2)

Relative/Absolute Path

When dealing with relative or absolute paths, it is ideal to choose an absolute path from the root of the server (DOCUMENT_ROOT). Use the following format:

<?php
    header('Location: /directory/mypage.php');
?>

If ever the target page is on another server, you include the full URL:

<?php
    header('Location: http://www.ccm.net/forum/');
?>

HTTP Headers

According to HTTP protocol, HTTP headers must be sent before any type of content. This means that no characters should ever be sent before the header — not even an empty space!

Temporary/Permanent Redirections

By default, the type of redirection presented above is a temporary one. This means that search engines, such as Google Search, will not take the redirection into account when indexing.

If you would like to notify search engines that a page has been permanently moved to another location, use the following code:

<?
    header('Status: 301 Moved Permanently', false, 301);
    header('Location: new_address');
?>

For example, this page has the following code:

<?
    header('Status: 301 Moved Permanently', false, 301);
    header('Location: /pc/imprimante.php3');
    exit();
?>

When you click on the link above, you are automatically redirected to this page. Moreover, it is a permanent redirection (Status: 301 Moved Permanently). So, if you type the first URL into Google, you will automatically be redirected to the second, redirected link.

Interpretation of PHP Code

The PHP code located after the header() will be interpreted by the server, even if the visitor moves to the address specified in the redirection. In most cases, this means that you need a method to follow the header() function of the exit() function in order to decrease the load of the server:

<?
    header('Status: 301 Moved Permanently', false, 301);
    header('Location: address');
    exit();
?>

Answer 14

header("Location: https://www.example.com/redirect.php");

Direct redirect to this link https://www.example.com/redirect.php

$redirect = "https://www.example.com/redirect.php";
header("Location: $redirect");

First get $redirect value and than redirect to [value] like: https://www.example.com/redirect.php

Answer 15

Yes, it's possible to use PHP. We will redirect to another page.

Try following code:

<?php
    header("Location:./"); // Redirect to index file
    header("Location:index.php"); // Redirect to index file
    header("Location:example.php");
?>

Answer 16

Use:

<?php
    header('Location: redirectpage.php');
    header('Location: redirectpage.php');
    exit();
    echo "<script>location.href='redirectpage.php';</script>";
?>

This is a regular and normal PHP redirect, but you can make a redirecting page with a few seconds wait by the below code:

<?php
    header('refresh:5;url=redirectpage.php '); // Note: here 5 means 5 seconds wait for redirect.
?>

Answer 17

To redirect in PHP use:

<?php header('Location: URL'); exit; ?>

Answer 18

In the eve of the semantic web, correctness is something to consider. Unfortunately, PHP's "Location"-header still uses the HTTP 302-redirect code, which, strictly, isn't the best one for redirection. The one it should use instead, is the 303 one.

W3C is kind enough to mention that the 303-header is incompatible with "many pre-HTTP/1.1 user agents," which would amount to no browser in current use. So, the 302 is a relic, which shouldn't be used.

...or you could just ignore it, as everyone else...

Answer 19

You can use some JavaScript methods like below

1. self.location="http://www.example.com/index.php";

2. window.location.href="http://www.example.com/index.php";

3. document.location.href = 'http://www.example.com/index.php';

4. window.location.replace("http://www.example.com/index.php");

Answer 20

Yes, you can use the header() function,

header("Location: http://www.yourwebsite.com/user.php"); /* Redirect browser */
exit();

And also best practice is to call the exit() function right after the header() function to avoid the below code execution.

According to the documentation, header() must be called before any actual output is sent.

Answer 21

Here are my thoughts:

IMHO, the best way to redirect an incoming request would be by using location headers, which goes

<?php
    header("Location: /index.php");
?>

Once this statement is executed, and output sent out, the browser will begin re-directing the user. However, ensure that there hasn't been any output (any echo / var_dump) before sending headers, else it will lead to errors.

Although this is a quick-and-dirty way to achieve what was originally asked, it would eventually turn out to be an SEO disaster, as this kind of redirect is always interpreted as a 301 / 302 redirect, hence search engines will always see your index page as a re-directed page, and not something of a landing page / main page.

Hence it will affect the SEO settings of the website.

Answer 22

Like others here said, sending the location header with:

header( "Location: http://www.mywebsite.com/otherpage.php" );

but you need to do it before you've sent any other output to the browser.

Also, if you're going to use this to block un-authenticated users from certain pages, like you mentioned, keep in mind that some user agents will ignore this and continue on the current page anyway, so you'll need to die() after you send it.

Answer 23

The best way to redirect with PHP is the following code...

 header("Location: /index.php");

Make sure no code will work after

header("Location: /index.php");

All the code must be executed before the above line.

Suppose,

Case 1:

echo "I am a web developer";
header("Location: /index.php");

It will redirect properly to the location (index.php).

Case 2:

return $something;
header("Location: /index.php");

The above code will not redirect to the location (index.php).

Answer 24

You can try using

header('Location:'.$your_url)

for more info you can refer php official documentation

Answer 25

We can do it in two ways:

1. When the user comes on https://bskud.com/PINCODE/BIHAR/index.php then redirect to https://bskud.com/PINCODE/BIHAR.php

   By the below PHP code

   <?php
       header("Location: https://bskud.com/PINCODE/BIHAR.php");
       exit;
   ?>
   

   Save the above code in https://bskud.com/PINCODE/BIHAR/index.php

2. When any condition is true then redirect to another page:

   <?php
       $myVar = "bskud";
       if ($myVar == "bskud") {
   ?>
   
   <script> window.location.href="https://bskud.com";  </script>
   
   <?php
       }
       else {
           echo "<b>Check the website name again</b>";
       }
   ?>
   

Answer 26

1. Using header, a built-in PHP function

a) Simple redirect without parameters

<?php
   header('Location: index.php');
?>

b) Redirect with GET parameters

<?php
      $id = 2;
      header("Location: index.php?id=$id&msg=succesfully redirect");
  ?>

2. Redirect with JavaScript in PHP

a) Simple redirect without parameters

<?php
     echo "<script>location.href='index.php';</script>";
 ?>

b) Redirect with GET parameters

<?php
     $id = 2;
     echo "<script>location.href='index.php?id=$id&msg=succesfully redirect';</script>";
   ?>

Answer 27

Using header function for routing

<?php
     header('Location: B.php');
     exit();
?>

Suppose we want to route from A.php file to B.php than we have to take help of <button> or <a>. Lets see an example

<?php
if(isset($_GET['go_to_page_b'])) {
    header('Location: B.php');
    exit();

}
?>

<p>I am page A</p>
<button name='go_to_page_b'>Page B</button>

B.php

<p> I am Page B</p>

Answer 28

There are multiple approaches to achieve what you are looking for.

One common way is by setting Header Location:

header("Location: www.example.com/index.php");

exit();

Answer 29

Use:

<?php
    $url = "targetpage"
    function redirect$url(){
        if (headers_sent()) == false{
            echo '<script>window.location.href="' . $url . '";</script>';
        }
    }
?>

Answer 30

There are multiple ways of doing this, but if you’d prefer php, I’d recommend the use of the header() function.

Basically

$your_target_url = “www.example.com/index.php”;
header(“Location : $your_target_url”);
exit();

If you want to kick it up a notch, it’s best to use it in functions. That way, you are able to add authentications and other checking elemnts in it.

Let’s try with by checking the user’s level.

So, suppose you have stored the user’s authority level in a session called u_auth.

In the function.php

<?php
    function authRedirect($get_auth_level,
                          $required_level,
                          $if_fail_link = “www.example.com/index.php”){
        if ($get_auth_level != $required_level){
            header(location : $if_fail_link);
            return false;
            exit();
        }
        else{
            return true;
        }
     }

     . . .

You’ll then call the function for every page that you want to authenticate.

Like in page.php or any other page.

<?php

    // page.php

    require “function.php”

    // Redirects to www.example.com/index.php if the
    // user isn’t authentication level 5
    authRedirect($_SESSION[‘u_auth’], 5);

    // Redirects to www.example.com/index.php if the
    // user isn’t authentication level 4
    authRedirect($_SESSION[‘u_auth’], 4);

    // Redirects to www.someotherplace.com/somepage.php if the
    // user isn’t authentication level 2
    authRedirect($_SESSION[‘u_auth’], 2, “www.someotherplace.com/somepage.php”);

    . . .

References;

• http://php.net/manual/en/function.header.php

Answer 31

I like the kind of redirection after counting seconds

<?php

header("Refresh: 3;url=https://theweek.com.br/índex.php");

Answer 32

You can use the header() function in PHP to perform a redirect to another page. The header() function sends a raw HTTP header to the browser, which can be used to redirect the user to a new page. Here's an example:

<?php
// Redirect to a new page
header("Location: https://www.example.com/newpage.php");
exit;
?>

In this example, the header() function sends a "Location" header with the URL of the new page to which the user will be redirected. The exit statement is used to immediately end the current script execution and prevent any further output.

Answer 33

try this one

 $url = $_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER'];
 redirect($url);

Answer 34

You can attempt to use the PHP header function to do the redirect. You will want to set the output buffer so your browser doesn't throw a redirect warning to the screen.

ob_start();
header("Location: " . $website);
ob_end_flush();

Answer 35

If you're running on Apache you can also use .htaccess for redirect.

Redirect 301 / http://new-site.com/