302 Found: using temporary redirects correctly

302 Found is a temporary redirect. The server sends the client to another URL, given in the Location header, for now, but the original address remains the one to use in future. HTTP/1.0 called it “Moved Temporarily”; HTTP/1.1 renamed it “Found.”

Definition

RFC 9110, section 15.4.3 says the target resource “resides temporarily under a different URI,” and because the redirect might change, the client “ought to continue to use the target URI for future requests.” Unlike a 301, a 302 isn’t cached unless headers say so. Clients may change POST to GET when following it; 307 Temporary Redirect forbids that.

SEO impact

In Google’s HTTP status code documentation, a 302 is a weak signal that the target should be canonical. Usually Google keeps the original URL in its results, which is exactly right for a short detour. 303 and 307 get the same treatment.

The trouble starts when a permanent move is made with a 302: the old URL can linger in results and the new one takes longer to take over. Google has said it may eventually treat a long-standing 302 as permanent, but that’s not something to rely on. If the move is permanent, say so with 301 or 308.

Good uses for a 302

• A/B tests that send part of the traffic to a variant URL; Google recommends 302 rather than 301 for these.
• Seasonal or campaign pages that temporarily stand in for a section.
• Sending logged-out users to a login page and back.
• Pointing an out-of-stock product to a substitute for a short time.

For site-wide maintenance, don’t redirect everything to a “we’ll be back” page; return 503 instead.

Accidental 302s: check your defaults

Many tools send 302 unless you ask for something else, which is how permanent migrations end up temporary:

• PHP: header('Location: …') sends 302 unless a 3xx status was already set.
• Express res.redirect(), Laravel redirect() and Rails redirect_to default to 302.
• Apache Redirect without a status is temporary.
• Nginx rewrite … redirect gives 302; rewrite … permanent gives 301.

// PHP: make the intent explicit
header('Location: https://www.example.com/new-url/', true, 301);

# Nginx: a deliberate temporary redirect
location = /sale/ {
    return 302 /sale/black-friday/;
}

How to check

The redirect checker shows the status of every hop, so you can spot a 302 hiding inside a chain; the http-to-https hop is a common place for one. For migrations, paste the old URLs into the HTTP status checker and look for anything other than 301 or 308. A typical temporary redirect:

HTTP/1.1 302 Found
Location: https://www.example.com/sale/black-friday/
Cache-Control: no-store
Content-Length: 0

Frequently asked questions