If a domain appears to send visitors to an IP address, separate DNS from HTTP first. DNS only answers which address belongs to a hostname; it does not redirect a browser. A proxy, web server, or application must return an HTTP 3xx response with a Location header to forward the visitor. If there is no 3xx response, you are usually seeing a DNS mistake, a default virtual host, an incomplete HTTPS setup, or a cached result.
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What an IP address on screen actually means
Entering example.com normally involves two different operations:
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- HTTP or HTTPS handling: the browser connects to that address and sends the original hostname in the request. A proxy, web server, or application may then return the requested page or a redirect.
Huawei Cloud’s Domain Name Service FAQ states that explicit or implicit URL forwarding is not performed by the standard DNS protocol; forwarding uses an HTTP 301 or 302 response. Therefore, an IP address in a DNS answer is not evidence that DNS redirected the browser.
There are three visible outcomes that are often confused:
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- The address bar changes to an IP: an HTTP redirect probably supplied that IP in its
Locationheader. - The address bar stays on the domain but shows a generic page or another site: the request reached an address whose web server selected a default virtual host.
- The domain fails before a page loads: the record, nameserver delegation, DNSSEC validation, TLS configuration, or resolver path may be wrong.
Capture the first response and every subsequent hop before changing settings. The first layer that emits a 3xx response is the layer that needs correction.
Use this diagnostic sequence before editing anything
- Query both hostnames. Check the apex (for example,
example.com) andwwwseparately. Record every A, AAAA, and CNAME answer, not just the first address displayed by a browser. - Verify delegation. At the registrar, note the nameservers delegated for the domain. They must be the same DNS service whose records you edited. If delegation points elsewhere, changes in the current dashboard cannot affect public traffic.
- Inspect headers without following redirects. In browser developer tools, select the first document request and read its status and
Locationheader. From a terminal, a command such ascurl -I https://example.comdisplays the first response; avoid the-Loption until you have recorded each hop. - Classify the first response. A 3xx means a forwarding rule exists at the proxy, origin server, or application. A 200 response containing an unexpected site points toward virtual-host selection or application routing. A DNS error must be repaired before an HTTP rule can work.
- Test the origin only when your host permits it. Send the correct Host header and TLS server name to the origin address, then compare that response with the public hostname. Do not bypass access controls or expose a private origin merely to test it.
- Retest from a clean client. Use a private browser window, a separate resolver, or a device that has not cached the old response. Browser and intermediary caches can preserve a 301 even after the rule is removed.
Check DNS records and nameserver delegation
Compare the apex and www records
An A record maps a hostname to IPv4; an AAAA record maps it to IPv6; a CNAME points to another hostname. The apex and www can legitimately use different records, but both must lead to the intended service. An old AAAA record can send IPv6-capable visitors to a different server while IPv4 visitors appear correct.
Run queries such as:
dig example.com A
dig example.com AAAA
dig www.example.com A
dig www.example.com AAAA
dig www.example.com CNAMEReplace the name with your domain and compare the answers with the addresses documented by your host or proxy. Remove obsolete records, correct typographical errors, and create any missing record at the authoritative DNS provider.
Confirm that you edited the authoritative service
Nameserver delegation is controlled at the registrar. If the registrar delegates to one provider while you edit records at another, the public Internet will continue receiving the delegated provider’s answers. A delegation change can also leave old records active until resolver caches expire.
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Check the delegated nameservers with:
dig example.com NSThen open the DNS dashboard belonging to those nameservers. Correct the record there, or change delegation deliberately and verify that the new service is authoritative before relying on its records.
Account for DNSSEC, resolver failures, and negative caching
Cloudflare lists mistyped names, missing records, incorrect nameservers, DNSSEC problems, resolver failures, and negative caching among common DNS failure causes. A DNSSEC mismatch can make valid-looking records fail validation. A previously negative answer (such as “name does not exist”) can remain cached. After correcting the authoritative data, allow caches to expire and test through more than one resolver.
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Find the layer issuing the redirect
Proxy or CDN redirect rules
A proxy can redirect before the request reaches your server. Review Redirect Rules, Bulk Redirects, legacy Page Rules, worker or edge-function code, and any other CDN configuration. The rule may match the apex but not www, or may contain an IP address left from an old migration.
Cloudflare’s redirect guidance requires a resolvable, proxied A or CNAME record so the request reaches its rule engine. For a redirect-only alias, its documentation uses 192.0.2.1 as a non-routing example A-record address; that address is reserved for documentation and should not be treated as a destination for a live website. A Redirect Rule can preserve the incoming path and query string while sending a 301 response to the target hostname.
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Disable or edit the rule that produced the unwanted Location value, then test both HTTP and HTTPS. If the rule is intended, replace the IP destination with the canonical hostname and preserve equivalent paths.
Default virtual host at the origin
When DNS points to the correct server but the page is a generic welcome screen, an IP-address page, or somebody else’s site, the web server may be selecting its default virtual host. Check the hostname bindings and server blocks in Nginx, Apache, or IIS. The requested domain must be listed, and the HTTPS binding must use a certificate containing that domain (and normally its www variant).
Test the origin with the intended Host header and TLS name. If the origin serves the right site only when addressed by an internal test name, fix the virtual-host mapping rather than adding a browser redirect.
Application canonical URL
Content-management systems and frameworks often store a canonical site URL. If that value differs from the hostname or scheme requested by the visitor, the application can issue a 301 or 302 to an IP, an old domain, or an unintended HTTP/HTTPS variant. Inspect the application’s URL settings and its database or environment configuration after confirming the proxy and web-server layers. Update the canonical value, clear the application’s own cache, and check that generated links use the same hostname.
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Fix HTTPS redirects and loops
A proxy may terminate TLS and then connect to the origin separately. If the proxy believes the request is HTTPS but the origin applies an HTTP-to-HTTPS rule without honoring the forwarded scheme, the two layers can redirect each other. The visible symptom may be a loop, a sudden move to an IP, or inconsistent behavior between HTTP and HTTPS.
- Ensure the proxy has a valid certificate covering every public hostname you serve. Cloudflare notes that it can serve a certificate for a DNS record when proxying is enabled.
- Use an HTTPS target in intentional redirects.
- Check that the apex and
wwwrecords are both covered by certificates and rules. - Remove duplicate HTTP-to-HTTPS rules or configure the origin to trust the proxy’s forwarded scheme according to your hosting platform.
- Inspect the complete chain, including whether a redirect changes both hostname and scheme in separate hops.
Choose the correct HTTP status code
The status code communicates whether a move is permanent and whether the request method must be preserved. Cloudflare documents the following meanings:
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors| Status | Use it when | Method behavior |
|---|---|---|
| 301 | The browser-facing domain move is permanent. | General browser navigation; clients may change a non-GET method during redirect handling. |
| 302 | The destination is temporary, or you are testing a change. | General temporary redirect; client handling can vary. |
| 307 | The destination is temporary and the original request method must remain unchanged. | Preserves the method and request body. |
| 308 | The destination is permanent and the original request method must remain unchanged. | Preserves the method and request body. |
Use a 302 while validating a new destination if you do not want browsers and intermediaries to retain a permanent decision. For API requests or other non-GET traffic, use 307 or 308 when method preservation is required. A permanent redirect should retain the original path and query string when the destination site provides equivalent routes; otherwise users can arrive at the wrong resource even after the hostname is fixed.
Repair the most common configurations
The DNS answer is an old server address
Replace the stale A or AAAA record with the address supplied by the current host, or replace it with the host’s required CNAME where the DNS provider permits that record at the requested name. Check the apex and www independently. Do not add a second arbitrary address simply to make a lookup return something; round-robin answers can send visitors to both the correct and incorrect servers.
The redirect rule contains an IP
Open every proxy, CDN, registrar forwarding, and web-server redirect setting. Change the destination to the canonical hostname, keep the path and query string when appropriate, and use a 302 during testing. Once every hop is correct, change it to the permanent status required by your migration plan.
The server responds with its default site
Add the domain to the server’s virtual-host or site-binding configuration, attach the correct certificate to the HTTPS listener, and ensure the web root or application pool points to the intended site. Reload the web server using your provider’s documented procedure, then repeat the Host-header test and public test.
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The application keeps restoring the IP
Search configuration files, environment variables, and database settings for the old IP or hostname. Set one canonical URL, update trusted proxy or forwarded-header settings where required, purge the application cache, and test a fresh session. If the application is behind a proxy, make sure it receives the original host rather than the proxy’s internal address.
Understand caching while you verify the fix
DNS answers are cached by recursive resolvers, and negative DNS answers can remain cached after a missing record is created. HTTP 301 responses can also be cached by browsers and intermediaries. That is why a corrected rule may appear ineffective on one device while a clean client already works.
- Record the response from a private browser session or a new device.
- Use a resolver that did not recently query the domain.
- Keep a 302 in place while testing a redirect destination.
- After changing DNS, wait for existing caches to expire before judging global propagation.
- Retest from both IPv4 and IPv6-capable networks when an AAAA record exists.
Do not repeatedly change DNS and redirect rules at the same time. Make one layer’s correction, inspect the resulting answer or header, and then continue upward through the request path.
Prevent the problem during migrations
- Document the authoritative nameservers before editing records.
- List the expected A, AAAA, and CNAME answers for the apex and
www. - Keep virtual-host names, certificate names, and application canonical URLs identical.
- Inventory proxy Redirect Rules, Bulk Redirects, Page Rules, workers, and registrar forwarding.
- Test the first response with redirects disabled and save each status and
Locationvalue. - Use 302 for a trial, then select 301, 307, or 308 based on permanence and method requirements.
- Preserve paths and query strings when the destination has matching routes.
- After deployment, test clean clients, both hostname variants, both schemes, and both IP protocols where applicable.
When to escalate to your host or DNS provider
Contact the provider when the delegated nameservers are not under your control, DNSSEC validation fails despite matching records, the proxy emits a redirect that is absent from every visible rule, or the origin cannot be tested with the required Host and TLS names. Include the exact hostname, time of test, resolver used, DNS answers, first HTTP status, every Location value, and whether the behavior differs between the apex and www. This evidence lets the provider identify the emitting layer without guessing.
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A domain does not redirect because of DNS alone. First prove whether you have a 3xx response or merely an unexpected server at the resolved address. Then correct the authoritative record and nameserver delegation, remove the proxy or server rule that sends visitors to an IP, fix virtual-host, certificate, or application canonical-URL settings, and retest after caches expire. The complete redirect chain—not the final page alone—shows where the fault actually lives.
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