What is an HTTP to HTTPS redirect? Force HTTPS + free HTTPS redirect checker
An HTTP to HTTPS redirect is the server rule that answers plain http:// with a jump to https://—not the same page over cleartext. People search “force HTTPS,” “HTTP to HTTPS redirect,” or “HTTPS redirect checker” when a CDN wipe or panel change reopens HTTP. CrowWake’s free HTTPS redirect / security headers checker confirms the jump is still live after deploys.
What is an HTTP to HTTPS redirect?
An HTTP→HTTPS redirect (often labeled force HTTPS or “Always Use HTTPS” in a CDN) is a server/CDN response—not a DNS record and not a certificate. Browsers still try plain HTTP when users omit the scheme, follow old bookmarks, or hit http:// links in email. A correct redirect responds with 301, 302, 307, or 308 and a Location that starts with https://. Without that jump, cookies, forms, and pages can leak on the wire—and mixed “sometimes HTTP” setups confuse HSTS rollout.
How to check HTTP→HTTPS (free HTTPS redirect / security headers checker)
1) Run the free security headers checker on the hostname users hit (apex and www if both are live). 2) Note the HTTPS redirect row—expect a 3xx Location to https://, not a cleartext 200 body. 3) Confirm HTTPS itself answers (pair with the site + SSL checkers). 4) After CDN, panel, or “simplify edge” deploys, re-check—force-HTTPS rules often disappear when someone resets presets. 5) Pair with HSTS / X-Frame-Options / nosniff on the same checker so one pulse covers the security-header baseline.
What CrowWake checks
We request http:// on the apex without following redirects and look for a 3xx status whose Location points at HTTPS. Cleartext 200 that serves content → warn. Odd status with no HTTPS Location → warn. Clean 3xx → HTTPS → ok. The free HTTPS redirect / security headers checker uses the same redirect signal with no login. CrowWake is not a full TLS audit—this is the public force-HTTPS pulse. For the repeat “watch redirect hourly” job, see the dedicated security headers monitoring guide.
HTTPS redirect vs security headers monitoring
This guide is the definition and publish/triage job: what an HTTP to HTTPS redirect is, why force HTTPS matters, and how to check with a free HTTPS redirect / security headers checker. Security headers monitoring is the hourly rooster—catch a silent redirect wipe alongside HSTS, nosniff, and framing. Both use the same free checker; CrowWake just repeats the pulse.
301, 302, 307, 308 — which status?
301 (Moved Permanently) and 308 (Permanent Redirect) tell browsers and search engines the HTTPS URL is the lasting home—prefer these for production apex/www. 302/307 are temporary; fine while testing, but switch to permanent once HTTPS is the only public face. CrowWake cares that the Location is HTTPS more than which 3xx you pick.
Redirect first, then HSTS
Force HTTPS at the edge or origin before you publish a long-lived Strict-Transport-Security header. HSTS remembers “HTTPS only” in the browser; a broken or missing redirect while you still rely on HSTS for first visits leaves a gap. Pair the redirect with a healthy cert (SSL expiry checker) and only then raise HSTS max-age—see the HSTS guide.
How it fits with the other security headers
The HTTP→HTTPS redirect closes the cleartext door. HSTS locks browsers onto HTTPS after the first secure visit. X-Frame-Options (or CSP frame-ancestors) stops clickjacking. X-Content-Type-Options closes MIME sniffing. CrowWake’s free HTTPS redirect / security headers checker reports all of these in one pass so a “simplify edge” deploy cannot silently reopen HTTP while HSTS still looks fine.
Publish checklist
1) Run the free security headers checker and note the HTTPS redirect row. 2) Confirm HTTPS itself answers (site + SSL checkers). 3) Add a force-HTTPS / “Always Use HTTPS” rule at the CDN, load balancer, or web server (apex and www if both are live). 4) Re-check: HTTP should 3xx to https:// with no cleartext body. 5) Add the domain so CrowWake crows if the redirect disappears after a rebuild.
If CrowWake crows
HTTP serves content → enable force-HTTPS / “Always Use HTTPS” at CDN or origin. Redirect loops or wrong host → fix Location to the canonical https hostname. Present then gone → restore the rule after a theme, panel, or “simplify edge” change. After a fix, re-run the free HTTPS redirect / security headers checker and keep watching. Deep dives: HSTS, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options use the same checker.
Watch this on CrowWake
Add the domain, leave the boxes checked, and the flock will crow when this drifts.
Or try the free HTTPS redirect / HTTPS redirect checker / security headers checker with no login.
Deep dive: Security headers monitoring — watch HTTP→HTTPS redirect / force HTTPS with HSTS, nosniff, and framing on the same free HTTPS redirect / security headers checker.
Related: HSTS guide (turn on after the redirect is solid), X-Frame-Options / clickjacking, X-Content-Type-Options / nosniff, the security headers & open ports guide, and the free SSL expiry checker (force HTTPS needs a healthy cert).