What is Nginx and How to Set Up HTTPS Redirects (301 vs 302) in Nginx and Apache

Ahmet Aykut Birlik

What is Nginx and How to Set Up HTTPS Redirects (301 vs 302) in Nginx and Apache

If you have ever worked with web servers, you have probably come across Nginx. Known for its performance, scalability, and reliability, Nginx is widely used to power modern websites and applications. Beyond serving static files, it is also a powerful reverse proxy, load balancer, and gateway for handling secure HTTPS traffic.

In this article, we will first explain what Nginx is and why it matters, and then we will dive into a practical guide on how to set up HTTPS redirects (301 vs 302) in both Nginx and Apache. Understanding these concepts is essential for DevOps engineers, system administrators, and developers who manage production workloads.

What is Nginx?

Nginx (pronounced “Engine-X”) is an open-source web server released in 2004 by Igor Sysoev. It was designed to address the C10k problem—how to handle 10,000 concurrent connections efficiently. Unlike traditional web servers such as Apache, which use a process-per-request model, Nginx employs an event-driven, asynchronous architecture, making it extremely lightweight and fast.

Key Features of Nginx

Web Server → Efficiently serves static files like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and images.
Reverse Proxy → Forwards requests to backend application servers (Node.js, Python, PHP, .NET).
Load Balancer → Distributes incoming traffic across multiple servers for reliability.
SSL/TLS Termination → Handles HTTPS certificates, ensuring secure communication.
Caching → Stores frequently requested resources to reduce server load.
Modularity → Supports multiple protocols, including HTTP, HTTPS, gRPC, TCP, and UDP.

Why Use Nginx?

Performance → Handles thousands of simultaneous connections with minimal resource usage.
Scalability → Ideal for containerized and cloud-native environments.
Flexibility → Can act as a web server, proxy, or API gateway.
Reliability → Powers some of the world’s largest websites, from streaming platforms to e-commerce giants.

Why HTTPS Redirects Matter

Modern websites must run on HTTPS for both security and SEO reasons. Google ranks HTTPS-enabled sites higher, and browsers like Chrome actively warn users about insecure HTTP pages.

However, many users still type http://example.com instead of https://example.com. To ensure security and consistency, administrators set up redirects.

Two common redirect types are:

301 Moved Permanently → Tells clients and search engines that the resource has been permanently moved to a new URL.
302 Found (Temporary Redirect) → Indicates that the resource is temporarily at another URL, but the original URL may be used again later.

👉 For SEO and long-term usage, 301 is the correct choice. For testing, migrations, or temporary changes, 302 may be more appropriate.

Configuring HTTPS Redirects in Nginx

Nginx makes it simple to enforce HTTPS. The following example redirects all HTTP traffic to HTTPS using a 301 redirect:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com www.example.com;
    return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}

listen 80; → Listens for incoming HTTP requests.
return 301 https://$host$request_uri; → Issues a permanent redirect to HTTPS.

If you want a 302 temporary redirect instead, simply replace 301 with 302:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name staging.example.com;
    return 302 https://$host$request_uri;
}

Configuring HTTPS Redirects in Apache

Apache uses .htaccess or virtual host configuration files to enforce redirects. Below is an example of a 301 redirect:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName example.com
    Redirect permanent / https://example.com/
</VirtualHost>

Alternatively, inside an .htaccess file:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

For a 302 temporary redirect, change [L,R=301] to [L,R=302]:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=302]

Verifying Redirects from the Command Line

Once your configuration is applied, you can test it with curl:

curl -I http://example.com

Expected result for a 301 permanent redirect:

HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://example.com/

Expected result for a 302 temporary redirect:

HTTP/1.1 302 Found
Location: https://example.com/

When to Use 301 vs 302

Code	Use Case	SEO Impact
301	Permanent move to HTTPS, domain change, canonicalization	Passes SEO value
302	Temporary maintenance, A/B testing, staging environments	Does not pass SEO value

Conclusion

Nginx and Apache are the most widely used web servers today. While Nginx is known for speed and efficiency, Apache is still extremely popular due to its flexibility and long history.

Both make it simple to enforce HTTPS redirects, which are critical for modern security and user trust. As a rule of thumb:

Use 301 redirects for permanent HTTPS enforcement.
Use 302 redirects only in temporary scenarios.

By configuring HTTPS redirects properly, you ensure that your applications are secure, SEO-friendly, and user-friendly—all while aligning with modern web standards.

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