Paste your .htaccess rewrite and redirect rules, enter a test URL, and see exactly how Apache would process them -- step by step, entirely client-side.
After fixing your redirects, make sure your rankings are preserved. OneStepToRank monitors your Google positions 24/7 across your entire service area so you can verify that redirects pass SEO value correctly.
Get StartedAn .htaccess redirect tester simulates how Apache processes your rewrite and redirect rules without requiring a live server. You paste your .htaccess content and a test URL, and the tool parses each directive -- RewriteRule, RewriteCond, Redirect, and RedirectMatch -- evaluating them in order against your URL, just like Apache's mod_rewrite engine would.
This is essential during site migrations, HTTPS enforcement, domain consolidation, or any URL restructuring where a single misplaced rule can cause redirect loops, 404 errors, or SEO ranking drops. Testing offline eliminates that risk entirely.
A RewriteRule consists of three parts: a regex pattern matched against the URL path, a substitution string that defines the new URL, and optional flags that control behavior. When the regex contains capturing groups (parentheses), each group creates a backreference: $1 for the first group, $2 for the second, and so on.
For example, RewriteRule ^products/([^/]+)/([0-9]+)$ /shop/$1?id=$2 [R=301,L] would match /products/widget/42, capture widget as $1 and 42 as $2, and redirect to /shop/widget?id=42 with a 301 status.
RewriteCond directives add conditions that must be true for the next RewriteRule to execute. Common conditions include:
%{HTTPS} -- Tests whether the connection is HTTPS (on) or HTTP (off).%{HTTP_HOST} -- Tests the domain name in the request (e.g., www.example.com).%{REQUEST_URI} -- Tests the full request path including the leading slash.Conditions are evaluated top to bottom, and by default they are AND-ed together. If any condition fails, the associated RewriteRule is skipped entirely.
Flags appear in square brackets at the end of a RewriteRule. The most important ones for redirects are:
[R=301] -- Performs an external redirect with HTTP 301 (permanent). This is the standard for SEO-safe URL changes.[R=302] -- Performs a temporary redirect. Use this for A/B tests or temporary maintenance pages.[L] -- Last rule. Stops processing further rules if this one matches.[NC] -- No case. Makes the pattern match case-insensitive.[QSA] -- Query string append. Preserves the original query string when redirecting.Combine this tool with our SERP Previewer to verify your post-redirect pages look correct in search results, and our Local Rank Checker to confirm rankings are preserved after migration.
It parses your Apache rewrite and redirect rules client-side and simulates how a web server would process a given URL. It shows you which rules match, which conditions are evaluated, what backreferences are captured, and where the final redirect points -- all without deploying to a live server.
This tester supports RewriteRule with regex patterns and backreferences ($1, $2), Redirect and RedirectMatch directives, RewriteCond conditions for HTTP_HOST, REQUEST_URI, and HTTPS, and common flags including [R=301], [R=302], [L] (last rule), and [NC] (no case).
When a RewriteRule pattern matches a URL path, each capturing group (parentheses) creates a backreference. The first group becomes $1, the second $2, and so on. These are substituted into the destination string to build the redirect URL dynamically.
Deploying untested redirect rules can cause redirect loops, broken pages, SEO ranking drops from incorrect 301 chains, or even make your entire site inaccessible. Testing offline lets you verify correct behavior, catch loops, and confirm backreferences resolve correctly -- all without risk to your live site.