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Redirect Rules (redirects.txt)

Redirect rules help you manage URL changes, handle Single Page Applications (SPAs), and create a better user experience by directing visitors to the right content.

Quick Start​

  1. Create a file named redirects.txt in your project's root folder
  2. Add your redirect rules (one per line)
  3. Publish your project

Each rule follows this format:

/source-path /destination-path [status-code][!]

Example:

/pricing /plans

When someone visits /pricing, they'll be automatically redirected to /plans.

Serve Directory​

The serve directory feature lets you serve files from a specific folder instead of the project root.

Syntax:

serve = "/foldername"

What it does:

When you set serve = "/public", all your files are served from the /public folder. For example:

  • Visitor requests: https://username.srcnexus.app/projectname/about
  • Server looks for: /public/about (instead of /about)
  • Visitor requests: https://username.srcnexus.app/projectname/
  • Server serves: /public/index.html (instead of /index.html)

How to change the serve directory:

Option 1: Via redirects.txt file

Add this line at the top of your redirects.txt:

serve = "/foldername"

Option 2: Via Editor UI

  1. Open your project in the editor
  2. Click the three dots menu in the top right corner
  3. Select Configure Serve Directory
  4. Enter your folder name
  5. Publish your project for changes to take effect

Basic Redirects​

Permanent Redirect (Default)​

/contact-us /contact

This is a 301 redirect - it tells browsers and search engines that the page has permanently moved. Good for SEO!

When to use: You've renamed a page and want search engines to update their indexes.

Temporary Redirect​

/maintenance /coming-soon 302

This is a 302 redirect - it tells browsers the page is temporarily at a different location.

When to use: You're doing maintenance or A/B testing, and the page might move back.

Pattern Matching​

Wildcard Redirects (Splat)​

Redirect entire sections of your site:

/blog/* /articles/:splat

What happens:

  • /blog/my-first-post → /articles/my-first-post
  • /blog/2024/tutorial → /articles/2024/tutorial

The * captures everything after /blog/ and :splat puts it in the new path.

Real example: You renamed your blog folder from "posts" to "writings":

/posts/* /writings/:splat

Placeholder Matching​

Extract specific parts of a URL:

/user/:username /profile/:username

What happens:

  • /user/john → /profile/john
  • /user/sarah → /profile/sarah

Each :name captures that segment of the URL.

Real example: Old URL structure to new structure:

/products/:category/:id /shop/:category/item/:id
  • /products/electronics/laptop-123 → /shop/electronics/item/laptop-123

Query Parameter Matching​

Redirect based on URL parameters:

/search q=:query /results/:query 301

What happens:

  • /search?q=javascript → /results/javascript
  • /search?q=react → /results/react

Real example: Old search URL to new format:

/product id=:productId /item/:productId
  • /product?id=abc123 → /item/abc123

Rewrites (Status 200)​

Serve different content without changing the browser's URL. Perfect for Single Page Applications!

/* /index.html 200

What happens:

  • Visitor types: yoursite.com/about
  • Browser shows: yoursite.com/about (stays the same)
  • Server serves: /index.html (your SPA handles routing)

Real example: React/Vue/Angular app:

# Let your SPA handle all routes
/* /index.html 200

Force Redirects​

Use ! to redirect even if the file exists:

/old-design.html /new-design.html 301!

Without !: If /old-design.html exists, it would be served (no redirect)
With !: Always redirects to /new-design.html, even if the old file exists

When to use: You want to ensure old URLs always redirect, regardless of what files exist.

Comments​

Add notes to document your rules:

# Updated pricing page URL (Dec 2024)
/old-pricing /pricing

# Redirect legacy blog posts
/articles/* /blog/:splat

Lines starting with # are ignored and won't be uploaded to the server.

[!IMPORTANT] > Comment lines don't count toward the 3000 character limit! They're automatically removed when you publish your project, so feel free to add as many helpful notes as you need.

Rule Processing Order​

Critical: Rules are checked from top to bottom. The first matching rule wins.

✅ Correct Order​

/blog/featured-post /special-feature
/blog/* /articles/:splat
/* /index.html 200

Why this works:

  1. /blog/featured-post is checked first (exact match)
  2. /blog/* catches other blog posts
  3. /* catches everything else

❌ Wrong Order​

/* /index.html 200
/blog/featured-post /special-feature

Why this fails:

  • /* matches everything, so /blog/featured-post is never checked!

Rule of thumb: Put specific rules before wildcard rules.

Common Examples​

Single Page Application​

# Serve index.html for all routes (React/Vue/Angular)
/* /index.html 200

Your JavaScript framework handles the actual routing.

Website Restructuring​

Old structure: /pages/about.html
New structure: /about

# Remove /pages/ prefix and .html extension
/pages/about.html /about
/pages/contact.html /contact
/pages/team.html /team

Blog Migration​

Old blog: /wordpress/2024/01/post-title
New blog: /blog/post-title

# Flatten URL structure
/wordpress/:year/:month/:slug /blog/:slug

E-commerce URL Cleanup​

# Simplify product URLs
/products/view id=:id /product/:id

# Cart with old parameter format
/shopping-cart item=:item /cart/:item

Catch-All 404​

# Specific redirects first
/old-page /new-page

# Catch everything else and show 404
/* /404.html 404

Complete Real-World Example​

Here's a complete redirects.txt for a business website:

# Homepage redirect from old domain structure
/index.html /
/home /

# Pricing page was renamed
/pricing-plans /pricing
/old-pricing /pricing

# Blog moved from /posts to /blog
/posts/* /blog/:splat

# Product pages restructured
/products/:category/:id /shop/:category/:id

# Old contact form
/contact-us /contact

# Services section renamed
/our-services/* /services/:splat

# Force redirect for rebranded page
/company-info /about 301!

# Single Page App catch-all (must be last!)
/* /index.html 200

Tips for Success​

  1. Test your redirects - Visit old URLs after publishing to verify they work
  2. Order matters - Always put specific rules before wildcard rules
  3. Use 301 for SEO - Permanent redirects help search engines update their index
  4. Use 200 for SPAs - Keeps the URL clean while serving your app
  5. Document with comments - Future you will appreciate the notes!
  6. Check for loops - Make sure you're not redirecting /page to /page

Limitations​

  • Maximum 3000 characters for all redirect rules (comments excluded)
  • Wildcards (*) only work at the end of a path
  • Query parameters require exact parameter names

File Existence Behavior​

By default, if a file exists at the source path, it will be served (redirect is skipped).

Example:

Rule: /about /about-us
File exists: /about.html
Result: Serves /about.html (no redirect)

To force redirect anyway, use the ! flag:

/about /about-us 301!

Changes to redirects.txt take effect immediately after you publish your project.