An ownCloud redirect loop almost always means the URL your browser uses does not match the URL ownCloud thinks it is serving. The disagreement can be the protocol (http versus https), hostname, port, or webroot path. Behind a reverse proxy, correct the forwarded headers, explicitly trust the proxy, and use ownCloud’s overwrite settings only where automatic detection cannot work.
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Diagnose the first changing part of the redirect chain before editing configuration. Then change one URL dimension, clear cached redirects, and verify the complete response sequence.
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Each HTTP response can contain a Location header telling the browser where to go next. A loop occurs when those destinations cycle instead of reaching the login page or a file. Typical cycles look like:
https://cloud.example.comredirects tohttp://cloud.example.com, which redirects back to HTTPS.https://cloud.example.comredirects tohttps://internal-host, then back to the public hostname.https://cloud.example.comredirects to a non-default port and then loses that port.https://cloud.example.com/owncloudalternates withhttps://cloud.example.com/.- The login page sends you to another hostname, where ownCloud starts a new login request.
ownCloud builds absolute URLs from the request information it receives. A reverse proxy may terminate TLS and connect to ownCloud over plain HTTP; unless the proxy and ownCloud agree that the public request was HTTPS, ownCloud can generate an HTTP redirect. The same problem occurs when the proxy hides the public host, changes the port, or mounts the application under a different path.
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| URL dimension | What must agree | Typical symptom |
|---|---|---|
| Scheme | Public http/https, TLS termination state, and forwarded protocol |
HTTP and HTTPS alternate indefinitely |
| Host | Hostname users enter, proxy Host header, ownCloud overwrite value |
Public and internal names alternate |
| Port | External port, forwarded host including port, and canonical redirect rules | Redirects add or remove a port |
| Webroot | Public path and proxy path mapping | /owncloud is repeatedly added or removed |
Identify the exact loop before changing settings
Use a header-only request
Run a request against the URL that users actually enter and preserve every redirect:
curl -I -L https://cloud.example.com/Replace the example with your real public URL. Read every Location value in order. The first place where scheme, host, port, or path changes is the dimension to investigate. If the command appears to hang, stop it and repeat without -L so you can inspect one response at a time:
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curl -I https://cloud.example.com/Do not infer the cause from the browser error alone. A browser can retain a cached permanent redirect after you have fixed the server.
Inspect the browser Network panel
Open Developer Tools, select the Network tab, enable preservation of the log, and load the public URL in a private window. Select each 3xx response and record its status code and Location header. Compare the first request with the URL in the address bar. An alternation between two destinations points to canonicalization rules; a growing path usually indicates a webroot mapping error.
Clear cached redirects only after recording them
Use a private window for every test. If a normal window still loops after the server is corrected, clear that site’s cached data or test from another browser. This prevents an old 301 response from hiding whether the configuration change worked.
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Back up the configuration and establish the public URL
Before editing, copy config/config.php and write down the exact public URL, including a non-default port or subdirectory. Also note whether TLS terminates at the reverse proxy or at the ownCloud web server. The correct values depend on what users enter, not on the private address between proxy and backend.
Every hostname or IP address used to access ownCloud must be listed in trusted_domains. Include the public DNS name and any administrative IP or alternate name that is genuinely used. Do not add an arbitrary wildcard or an entire network just to suppress an error; an over-broad list weakens host validation.
Set the reverse-proxy trust and canonical URL
Reference configuration
Use the following pattern only after replacing each value with the values in your deployment:
// config/config.php
$CONFIG = [
'trusted_proxies' => ['10.0.0.10'],
'trusted_domains' => ['cloud.example.com'],
'overwritehost' => 'cloud.example.com',
'overwriteprotocol' => 'https',
'overwritewebroot' => '/owncloud',
'overwrite.cli.url' => 'https://cloud.example.com/owncloud',
];trusted_proxies must contain only the proxy addresses that ownCloud is meant to trust. ownCloud’s Server Administration Manual warns that incorrect forwarded-header settings can let clients spoof their apparent IP. Do not place an arbitrary subnet in this setting. If several controlled proxies can reach the backend, list those specific addresses.
What each overwrite option controls
overwritehost: the externally visible hostname, with the external port when that port is not the default. Set it when the backend sees an internal name or the wrong port.overwriteprotocol: the public scheme, normallyhttpswhen TLS ends at the proxy. Set it when ownCloud sees an HTTP backend connection despite an HTTPS browser request.overwritewebroot: the path users see, such as/owncloud. Set it when the proxy publishes ownCloud below a subdirectory and automatic detection fails.overwrite.cli.url: the complete base URL used by cron and links generated byocc. A wrong value can send users to another domain and prompt another login.
Do not set a value merely because it appears in an example. A root deployment should not be given /owncloud, and a site that is genuinely HTTP should not be forced to HTTPS. Change only the option corresponding to the dimension you identified.
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Use conditional overwrites when multiple entry points exist
If only requests arriving from one proxy should receive an overwrite, use overwritecondaddr with a regular expression matching that proxy’s address. This is safer than forcing the same public URL on direct administrative access or on a second, differently configured proxy. The condition must match the actual source address ownCloud sees.
Fix an HTTP/HTTPS alternation
When TLS terminates at a reverse proxy
- Confirm that the browser connects to the proxy with HTTPS.
- Confirm that the proxy forwards the original public host and a forwarded protocol value indicating HTTPS. The relevant information is usually the
HostandX-Forwarded-Proto(or equivalent standardized forwarded protocol) header. - Ensure the proxy address is in
trusted_proxies, and setoverwriteprotocoltohttpsif automatic detection still sees HTTP. - Remove any second HTTP-to-HTTPS rule that conflicts with the proxy’s canonical redirect. There should be one authoritative scheme decision.
- Repeat the header request and verify that the first HTTPS request no longer returns a Location pointing to HTTP.
If TLS terminates directly on the ownCloud web server, the backend should receive the real HTTPS request and normally does not need a protocol overwrite. Forcing https in that case can conceal a different proxy or virtual-host error, so verify the termination point first.
Check for conflicting scheme rules
A proxy may redirect HTTP to HTTPS while an Apache or Nginx virtual host behind it redirects what it believes is HTTP back to another address. Keep one canonical rule at the edge and make sure the backend receives a trustworthy indication of the original scheme. Do not stack independent HTTP-to-HTTPS rules in the proxy, web server, and application without checking how each one interprets forwarded headers.
Fix hostname or port alternation
- List every hostname and port in the recorded
Locationchain. - Choose the single public host and port that users should enter.
- Configure the proxy to pass that public
Host, including the port when it is non-default. - Set
overwritehostto the same external host and port if ownCloud cannot reliably detect it. - Remove a competing canonical redirect in another virtual host, load balancer, or proxy layer.
- Add the exact public hostname (and any genuinely used alternate IP or name) to
trusted_domains.
A host redirect can look like a login problem: the first page loads under one name, authentication is submitted to another, and the session appears to disappear. Check the hostname in every response before changing cookies or credentials.
Fix a path or /owncloud loop
Decide whether the public deployment is at the domain root (https://cloud.example.com/) or under a subdirectory (https://cloud.example.com/owncloud/). The proxy mapping, overwritewebroot, and overwrite.cli.url must describe that same choice.
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Subdirectory deployment
For a public path such as /owncloud, map that path to the matching backend path and set overwritewebroot to /owncloud. The complete CLI base URL should include the path. In Apache, the mapping requires both a forward proxy rule and a matching reverse rewrite; the official ownCloud example shows paired ProxyPass and ProxyPassReverse directives for this reason. If only the forward rule exists, backend redirects can expose an internal or path-less URL.
ProxyPass /owncloud http://127.0.0.1:8080/owncloud
ProxyPassReverse /owncloud http://127.0.0.1:8080/owncloudUse the actual upstream address and path for your installation. Do not copy these values unchanged into a different layout.
Root deployment
If users enter the domain root, remove an obsolete /owncloud prefix from the proxy mapping and from ownCloud’s webroot overwrite. Leaving one layer configured for a subdirectory and another for the root creates repeated path additions or removals.
Make host validation pass
An “untrusted domain” message is separate from a redirect loop but often appears during the same migration. Add the exact public hostname or IP to trusted_domains, save the configuration, and test that same address. Include a non-default port only where your ownCloud version expects it as part of host validation; do not substitute a broad wildcard for the real name.
Docker-specific settings
In the official ownCloud Docker setup, OWNCLOUD_TRUSTED_DOMAINS supplies the trusted host list as a comma-separated value when more than one name is required. OWNCLOUD_DOMAIN is used when OWNCLOUD_TRUSTED_DOMAINS is not defined. Set the variable that your deployment actually uses, using the public hostname rather than the container name.
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- Inspect the environment and generated ownCloud configuration inside the running container so you know which variable currently supplies the value.
- Replace it with the exact public hostname or a comma-separated list of real entry points.
- Restart the service; changing a compose or container environment value does not alter an already running process until it is recreated or restarted.
- Re-run the header request from outside the container and verify the public scheme, host, port, and path.
Docker networking addresses are normally internal implementation details. They should not become the hostname in redirects unless that is intentionally the public URL.
Choose a deployment pattern that matches the URL users enter
| Choice | Advantages | Configuration consequences |
|---|---|---|
| TLS at reverse proxy | Centralizes certificates and lets the proxy serve several backends | Forward the public host and HTTPS protocol, trust the proxy, and set overwriteprotocol when detection is unreliable |
| TLS at ownCloud web server | The backend sees the original secure request directly | Fewer forwarded-header concerns; proxy rules must still preserve host, port, and path if a proxy remains in front |
Root deployment (/) |
Shortest public URLs | Do not retain a subdirectory webroot or path prefix in proxy rules |
Subdirectory deployment (/owncloud) |
Allows another application at the domain root | Proxy mapping, overwritewebroot, and CLI URL must all include the same prefix |
| Static overwrite values | Predictable for one fixed public entry point | Can break alternate entry points; values must be changed when the public URL changes |
Conditional overwritecondaddr |
Limits overwrites to requests from a known proxy | Requires an accurate regular expression for the proxy address and careful testing of direct access |
The right choice is the one that describes the URL users actually enter and the headers the proxy actually sends. Mixing choices across layers is what creates most loops.
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- Back up: copy
config/config.phpand save the current redirect chain. - Classify: decide whether the first change is scheme, host/port, or path.
- Correct the edge: fix the proxy’s forwarded host, protocol, or path mapping first.
- Correct ownCloud: add the specific proxy to
trusted_proxiesand apply only the matching overwrite option. - Validate hosts: add every real public hostname or IP to
trusted_domains. - Restart what needs restarting: recreate a Docker service after environment changes; reload the web server after its configuration changes.
- Retest privately: use a private browser window and a header-only request, recording every
Location. - Review logs: if the chain still changes, correlate proxy, web-server, and ownCloud log entries by timestamp.
Do not simultaneously change cookies, authentication providers, database settings, and URL configuration. Isolating one dimension makes the first remaining mismatch visible and preserves a straightforward rollback.
When the loop remains
The proxy header is missing or untrusted
If ownCloud ignores X-Forwarded-Proto or the forwarded host, verify that the request really comes from an address in trusted_proxies. A header from an untrusted source must not be accepted as authoritative. Check the proxy’s outgoing request rather than assuming its configuration file is active.
Two proxies are rewriting different ways
Trace the request through every load balancer, CDN, ingress controller, and web server. The first layer may set HTTPS while the next replaces it with HTTP, or one layer may strip /owncloud while another adds it. Give each layer one consistent mapping and remove duplicate canonical redirects.
The response points to an internal URL
An internal hostname, container name, or private port in Location indicates that ownCloud or the proxy is exposing backend information. Set the public host and port, ensure the public Host is forwarded, and check Apache’s ProxyPassReverse or the equivalent response-rewriting feature.
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If interactive browsing works but generated links point elsewhere, inspect overwrite.cli.url. It must be the complete public base URL, including scheme and webroot. Correcting that value does not replace the need to fix browser redirects if those still loop.
A cached 301 survives the fix
Confirm the server’s current chain with curl or a private window. Then clear the affected site’s cached data in the regular browser. Do not keep editing server settings to compensate for a redirect that is no longer being returned.
Quick Recap
Final verification checklist
- The public URL reaches one canonical scheme, host, port, and path.
- Every response in the chain has a useful destination and the chain terminates.
- The proxy sends the public
Hostand correct forwarded protocol. - Only intended proxy addresses are in
trusted_proxies. - Every real public hostname or IP is in
trusted_domains. overwritehost,overwriteprotocol, andoverwritewebrootmatch the external URL, or are omitted where automatic detection is correct.overwrite.cli.urlmatches the same complete base URL.- Docker environment changes have been applied by restarting or recreating the service.
- A private-window test and a header request both reach the login page without alternating destinations.
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