Webforwarding
Types of web redirects
A website can be redirected through DNS, through an HTTP server or from the page itself. They are not the same: the component doing the redirect, the visitor experience and the limits are different.
Reviewed:
Redirect can mean different things
When someone says "redirect a website", they may mean several different mechanisms. The visible result may look similar, but the technical path is different.
Common options are:
- pointing DNS to a server;
- sending an HTTP redirect from a server;
- placing a redirect inside a web page.
DNS-level pointing
DNS does not perform a full URL redirect. DNS only says which IP address or server a name should use.
It can point www.example.com to an external platform if that platform accepts your domain. But DNS cannot say "go to this exact long page path".
For example, DNS cannot by itself do this:
www.example.com -> https://free-service.com/user/pageHTTP server redirect
This is the webforwarding case. The browser reaches the forwarding server and that server replies with an HTTP instruction sending the visitor to another URL.
This can send www.example.com to a full URL, including paths such as /page/home.
The browser usually ends up showing the destination URL.
Redirect inside a web page
A redirect can also be done with HTML or JavaScript inside a page. The browser first loads a page, and that page tells it to go elsewhere.
This is less clean than an HTTP redirect, can be slower and may cause more problems with browsers or search engines.
What the visitor sees
With pure DNS, the visitor sees your domain if the final server is configured to serve it.
With HTTP webforwarding, the visitor usually sees the final destination URL after the redirect.
With a page-level redirect, the visitor may see an intermediate page or notice a slower jump.
How PRIMARI handles it
At PRIMARI.NET, webforwarding is an HTTP server redirect. You define the source on the domain, the destination URL, the protocol and whether the redirect is temporary or permanent.
If you need an external platform to serve your domain directly while keeping your domain visible, you may need DNS and configuration inside that platform, not only webforwarding.
When to contact PRIMARI.NET
Contact PRIMARI.NET before choosing the method if you use an external platform, an old website or a long URL. We can tell you whether DNS, webforwarding or hosting is the right tool.