How Redirects Work
A redirect is an HTTP response that instructs a browser or search crawler to load a different URL. The server returns a status code in the 3xx range (e.g. 301 or 302) along with a "Location" header containing the target URL.
Upon receiving this response, the browser immediately makes a new request to the URL specified in the Location header.
Permanent and Temporary Redirects
Permanent redirects (301, 308) tell browsers and search engines to cache the redirect and transfer SEO value to the new URL.
Temporary redirects (302, 307) instruct browsers not to cache the redirect, as the resource will return to the original address in the future.
How to Test a Redirect
To test redirects, use tools that trace the exact HTTP hops rather than just showing the final page, since browsers automatically follow redirect chains silently.