Redirects & Rewrites

Redirects & Rewrites

Wisp.place supports Netlify-style _redirects files, giving you powerful control over URL routing and redirects. Whether you’re migrating an old site, setting up a single-page app, or creating clean URLs, the _redirects file lets you handle complex routing scenarios without changing your actual file structure.

Getting Started

Drop a file named _redirects in your site’s root directory. Each line defines a redirect rule with the format:

/from/path    /to/path    [status]    [conditions]

For example:

/old-page     /new-page
/blog/*       /posts/:splat    301

Basic Redirects

The simplest redirects move traffic from one URL to another:

/home              /
/about-us          /about
/old-blog          /blog

These use a permanent redirect (301) by default, telling browsers and search engines the page has moved permanently.

Status Codes

You can specify different HTTP status codes to change how the redirect behaves:

301 - Permanent Redirect

/legacy-page    /new-page    301

Tells browsers and search engines the page has moved permanently. Good for SEO when content has truly moved.

302 - Temporary Redirect

/temp-sale      /sale-page   302

Indicates a temporary move. Browsers won’t cache this as strongly, and search engines won’t transfer SEO value.

200 - Rewrite

/api/*         /functions/:splat    200

Serves different content but keeps the original URL visible to users. Perfect for API routing or single-page apps.

404 - Custom Error Page

/shop/*        /shop-closed.html    404

Shows a custom error page instead of the default 404. Useful for seasonal closures or section-specific error handling.

Force with !

/existing-file  /other-file  200!

Normally, if the original path exists as a file, the redirect won’t trigger. Add ! to force it anyway.

Wildcard Redirects

Splats (*) let you match entire path segments:

Simple wildcards:

/news/*         /blog/:splat
/old-site/*     /new-site/:splat

If someone visits /news/tech-update, they’ll be redirected to /blog/tech-update.

Multiple wildcards:

/products/*/details/*    /shop/:splat/info/:splat

This captures multiple path segments and maps them to the new structure.

Placeholders

Placeholders let you restructure URLs with named parameters:

/blog/:year/:month/:day/:slug    /posts/:year-:month-:day/:slug
/products/:category/:id          /shop/:category/item/:id

These are more precise than splats because you can reference the captured values by name. Visiting /blog/2024/01/15/my-post redirects to /posts/2024-01-15/my-post.

Query Parameters

You can match and redirect based on URL parameters:

/store?id=:id      /products/:id
/search?q=:query   /find/:query

The query parameter becomes part of the redirect path. /store?id=123 becomes /products/123.

Conditional Redirects

Make redirects happen only under certain conditions:

Country-based:

/                  /us/         302  Country=us
/                  /uk/         302  Country=gb

Redirects users based on their country (using ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes).

Language-based:

/products          /en/products      301  Language=en
/products          /de/products      301  Language=de

Routes based on browser language preferences.

Cookie-based:

/*                 /legacy/:splat    200  Cookie=is_legacy

Only redirects if the user has a specific cookie set.

Advanced Patterns

Single-page app routing:

/*                 /index.html      200

Send all unmatched routes to your main app file. Perfect for React, Vue, or Angular apps.

API proxying:

/api/*            https://api.example.com/:splat    200

Proxy API calls to external services while keeping the URL clean.

Domain redirects:

http://blog.example.com/*     https://example.com/blog/:splat    301!

Redirect from subdomains or entirely different domains.

Extension removal:

/page.html         /page

Clean up old .html extensions for a modern look.

How It Works

1. Processing order: Rules are checked from top to bottom - first match wins
2. Specificity: More specific rules should come before general ones
3. Caching: Redirects are cached for performance but respect the site’s cache headers
4. Performance: All processing happens at the edge, close to your users

Examples

Here’s a complete _redirects file for a typical site migration:

# Old blog structure to new
/blog/*             /posts/:splat      301

# API proxy
/api/*              https://api.example.com/:splat    200

# Country redirects for homepage
/                   /us/               302  Country=us
/                   /uk/               302  Country=gb

# Single-page app fallback
/*                  /index.html        200

# Custom 404 for shop section
/shop/*             /shop/closed.html  404

Tips

• Order matters: Put specific rules before general ones
• Test thoroughly: Use the preview feature to check your redirects
• Use 301 for SEO: Permanent redirects pass SEO value to new pages
• Use 200 for SPAs: Rewrites keep your app’s routing intact
• Force when needed: The ! flag overrides existing files
• Keep it simple: Most sites only need a few redirect rules

Troubleshooting

Redirect not working?

• Check the order - rules are processed top to bottom
• Make sure the file is named exactly _redirects (no extension)
• Verify the file is in your site’s root directory

Wildcard not matching?

• Wildcards only work at the end of paths
• Use placeholders for more complex restructuring

Conditional redirect not triggering?

• Country detection uses IP geolocation
• Language uses Accept-Language headers
• Cookies must match exactly

The _redirects system gives you the flexibility to handle complex routing scenarios while keeping your site structure clean and maintainable.