To see every redirect in a headless Chrome navigation, use Puppeteer’s response.request().redirectChain() for a concise navigation trace, or listen to Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP) Network events when you need hop-by-hop status codes, headers, request IDs, or timing. The final URL alone is not a redirect trace: record each request and the response that sent the browser to the next URL.
What a redirect trace should show
A redirect chain is a sequence of HTTP requests and responses, not merely the URL displayed after navigation. For each hop, preserve the URL requested, the response status, the Location header when present, the next request URL, and—if useful—the request method and timing. The last response is the destination response, not another redirect hop unless it redirects again.
HTTP status codes such as 301, 302, 303, 307, and 308 are commonly involved, but a useful trace should capture the actual response rather than assume a redirect based on the final address. Also distinguish the main document navigation from redirects involving images, scripts, or other subresources; those are separate request chains.
Trace a navigation with Puppeteer
When the question is simply “What redirects did this page navigation follow?”, Puppeteer’s higher-level API is the shortest route. The returned navigation response refers to the final response. Its request exposes redirectChain(), which lists the requests that were redirected; the final request is represented by the response’s own request and is not an additional redirect hop.
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import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';
const browser = await puppeteer.launch({ headless: true });
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
const response = await page.goto('http://example.com', {
waitUntil: 'networkidle0'
});
if (!response) {
throw new Error('Navigation produced no response');
}
const finalRequest = response.request();
const hops = finalRequest.redirectChain().map(request => ({
url: request.url(),
method: request.method(),
headers: request.headers()
}));
console.log(JSON.stringify({
hops,
finalUrl: response.url(),
finalStatus: response.status()
}, null, 2));
} finally {
await browser.close();
}Install Puppeteer in your Node.js project before running this ES module. The example waits for network idle, which can be unsuitable for pages that keep network connections open; see the waiting and timeout guidance below. For an HTTP-to-HTTPS redirect, Puppeteer’s documented example returns one redirected request in the chain. A navigation with no redirects has an empty chain. An empty array is therefore a valid result, not necessarily an error.
Understand what the chain contains
hops: the redirected requests, with the request URL, method, and headers available from Puppeteer.finalUrl: the URL associated with the final navigation response.finalStatus: the status of that final response, not the status codes of earlier redirect responses.
This concise recipe does not print each redirect response’s status or Location header. If those details are essential—for example, to establish whether a hop was a 301 or 302—collect the protocol events with CDP instead.
Capture status, Location, IDs, and timing with CDP
CDP’s Network domain exposes request and response events. Enable it on a page’s CDP session and listen for Network.requestWillBeSent and Network.responseReceived. When a request is redirected, the next requestWillBeSent event includes a populated redirectResponse for the response that caused that next request. Record that response before advancing to the new request.
- Create a CDP session attached to the page.
- Send
Network.enablebefore starting navigation so the initial request is observed. - Register listeners for
Network.requestWillBeSentandNetwork.responseReceived. - For each request event, store its request ID, URL, method, and timestamp. If
redirectResponseexists, save its status and headers, especiallyLocation, alongside the next request URL. - For the final response, record its status, URL, MIME type, and timing fields if supplied.
- Stop collection when the navigation has completed or when your own timeout expires, and detach or close the session as appropriate.
Use a record shape that keeps the response that caused a redirect paired with the follow-up request. For example, a hop can contain fromUrl, status, location, requestId, method, timestamp, and toUrl. The destination is the next request’s URL; do not assume a Location header is already normalized to the exact string the browser requests.
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CDP is preferable when the trace must retain protocol-level details, when requests beyond the top-level navigation matter, or when you need a basis for later analysis. A request ID helps associate events, but do not assume that every event from the page belongs to the navigation you are investigating. Filter or correlate by request type, frame, loader, and navigation context in your implementation where necessary.
When to intercept redirects with Fetch
Use CDP’s Fetch domain only when you need to pause or modify a request or redirect. A paused redirect response can be identified by a 301, 302, 303, 307, or 308 status together with a Location header. The resulting request includes redirectedRequestId, which links it to the request that caused the redirect. Record the response details, then continue the paused request if the browser should proceed normally.
Interception adds control, but it also adds responsibility: a request left paused can stall page loading. Keep the continuation path explicit, including error handling, and avoid enabling interception just to print a chain that Network events can already report.
Redirect response bodies are unavailable
Do not call Fetch.getResponseBody expecting the body of a redirect response. The Fetch documentation states that redirect response bodies are unavailable. For redirect diagnosis, preserve the response status and headers instead; do not treat the missing body as evidence that no redirect occurred.
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Choose the right tracing method
| Approach | Best for | Metadata and coverage | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
Puppeteer redirectChain() |
A quick trace of a page navigation | Redirected requests, with request URL, method, and headers; final response URL and status are available separately | Less protocol-level detail; does not by itself report each redirect response’s status and Location |
| CDP Network events | Hop statuses, headers, request IDs, timing, or broader request observation | Request and response events, including redirect response data on the next request event | Requires event collection, correlation, and a stop condition |
| CDP Fetch interception | Pausing or modifying requests and redirects | Paused redirect status and Location, with a link through redirectedRequestId |
More complex; paused requests must be continued, and redirect bodies cannot be read |
| Chrome DevTools Network panel | Manual inspection and cross-checking | Status, type, initiator, size, time, and waterfall; Initiator can identify an HTTP redirect | Manual rather than an automated trace |
Cross-check a trace in Chrome DevTools
For a visual check, open DevTools before starting the navigation so the Network panel records the complete sequence. Inspect the request rows, Status and Initiator columns, and the waterfall. The Initiator column can label an HTTP redirect, helping distinguish it from parser-initiated or script-initiated requests. This is particularly useful when checking whether your automated code missed the initial hop or accidentally mixed document navigation with subresource requests.
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The trace shows only the final URL
A final response URL cannot reveal all the intermediate responses by itself. In Puppeteer, obtain the final response’s request and call redirectChain(). If you need each redirect status and Location, enable Network events before navigation and inspect each subsequent request event’s redirectResponse.
The redirect chain is empty
An empty Puppeteer chain means no redirected request was recorded for that navigation. It is expected when the requested URL responds without redirecting. Check that you are examining the response returned by the navigation you intended, and use the DevTools Network panel as a manual cross-check if the result seems surprising.
page.goto() returns no response
The recipe checks for this case rather than dereferencing a missing value. Treat it as a navigation that produced no response available to the script, and investigate the navigation outcome before trying to read its status or request. Keep browser cleanup in a finally block so failures do not leave a browser process running.
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Navigation waits too long
networkidle0 waits for network activity to become idle; a page that continuously polls or holds connections may not reach that condition. Choose a wait condition appropriate to the page and the question you are answering, or add an explicit timeout and a separate completion strategy. Do not confuse “the page never became idle” with “the redirect chain is still continuing.”
CDP data is missing the first request
Attach the session, enable Network, and register the listeners before triggering navigation. Starting observation after navigation begins can miss the initial request and make the chain appear incomplete.
Fetch interception stalls the page
Every paused request needs a deliberate outcome. Continue it after recording the redirect unless your test intentionally modifies or blocks it. If a handler can throw, structure it so an exception does not silently leave the request paused.
A redirect response has no readable body
This is an expected limitation of Fetch interception, not a reason to switch to body parsing. Use the status and headers, including Location, as the evidence for that redirect.
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ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server, not a redirect-chain tracing tool: a screenshot can show the rendered result, but it does not replace Puppeteer or CDP when you need each redirect status and header. If you need a clean capture of the page after it loads, one GET request can return an image or PDF. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for options.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpScreenshotNeo accepts cookie or consent banners before capture and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each of those steps can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, failed loads, timeouts, and cache hits are not billed, and response headers identify the page verdict and billing outcome. Its MCP server offers take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for AI agents and MCP clients. The Free plan includes 1,000 shots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots, and yearly billing gives two months free. All features are available on every plan.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can a screenshot tell me which HTTP status caused a redirect?
No. A screenshot shows rendered output, not the intermediate response status or Location header. Use Puppeteer or CDP for redirect evidence.
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Does Puppeteer’s redirectChain include the final request?
No. It contains the requests that were redirected; the final request is represented by the navigation response’s request.
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