Page Redirection

Redirects move the browser to another URL. They are commonly used after form submissions, during authentication, and when an old address should point to a new one.

Basic redirects

return redirect()->to('/dashboard');
return redirect()->to('products/42');
return redirect()->route('product', [42]);
return redirect()->back();

After a form submission

if (! $this->validate($rules)) {
    return redirect()->back()->withInput()->with('errors', $this->validator->getErrors());
}

return redirect()->to('/products')->with('success', 'Product created.');

This pattern is called post/redirect/get. It prevents a browser refresh from submitting the form again.

Status codes

return redirect()->to('/new-home', 301); // permanent move
return redirect()->to('/login', 302);     // temporary (default)

Use 301 only when the old URL is permanently gone and search engines should update their index.

Redirect from routes

Simple legacy URLs can be redirected in app/Config/Routes.php without a controller. Use a dedicated controller or route redirect and keep the target list small and documented.

Good practices

• Always return the redirect from the controller.
• Prefer named routes or site_url() over hard-coded absolute URLs.
• Do not redirect in a loop; check that the target is not the same path.
• Store messages in flashdata, not in the URL, so users can refresh safely.