If you're in the world of website creation, you've probably come across the need to redirect URLs. As a web designer, knowing when to use Redirect or RewriteRule can save you a lot of headaches. Here we explain the difference with easy-to-understand examples.

What is Redirect?

Redirect is an instruction that tells the browser: “This page is no longer here, it’s now somewhere else.” It's very useful when:

• You’ve changed an old URL to a new one.
• The site structure has changed.
• You want to avoid 404 errors.

Basic example:

Redirect 301 /blog /articles

This example permanently redirects the URL /blog to /articles. Easy, straightforward, and hassle-free.

When to use Redirect

• When the redirection is simple.
• You don’t need special conditions.
• It doesn’t matter what comes after the URL.

What is RewriteRule?

RewriteRule is part of Apache’s mod_rewrite module. It allows for more complex, flexible, and conditional URL rewriting. You can use regular expressions, apply conditions, and even keep parts of the original URL.

Example:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^blog/(.*)$ /articles/$1 [R=301,L]

This redirects everything that starts with /blog/ to /articles/, preserving what comes after.

When to use RewriteRule

• When you need to redirect multiple URLs with a single rule.
• You want to preserve part of the original URL.
• There are conditions that must be met to perform the redirection.
• You require regular expressions or more advanced logic.

Quick comparison

Feature	Redirect	RewriteRule
Ease of use	Very simple	More complex
Requires mod_rewrite	No	Yes
Supports regular expressions	No	Yes
Best for	Simple URL changes	Conditional or multiple redirections
Preserves dynamic parts	No	Yes (with patterns and variables)

Common examples

1. Simple permanent redirection (old URL → new):

Redirect 301 /about-us /who-we-are

2. Redirection with parameters or dynamic routes:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^store/(.*)$ /products/$1 [R=301,L]

This allows you to redirect paths like /store/category/shoes to /products/category/shoes.

3. Conditional redirection (for example, only if a parameter is present):

RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} view=login
RewriteRule ^account$ /account? [R=301,L]

This redirects /account?view=login to /account, removing the parameter.

Which one should you use as a web designer?

If you’re working on building a website and the changes are simple (like renaming a section), Redirect is your best option. But if you need to move an entire set of pages, apply rules based on parameters, or maintain structures, then RewriteRule is the ideal choice.

Conclusion

Both Redirect and RewriteRule are valuable tools for any web designer. Knowing when to use each one will help you keep URLs clean, avoid errors, and improve SEO without complication. The key is simplicity: if you can solve it with Redirect, use it; if you need more control, RewriteRule is your ally.