redirect.name

DNS-based URL redirects. No server, no signup, no dashboard.

How it works

Two DNS records describe a redirect: one points your hostname at our server, and a TXT record describes where to send visitors. We read the TXT record at request time and issue the redirect. No accounts, no dashboard. Your DNS provider is the source of truth.

Setup

Point your hostname at alias.redirect.name:

Type Name Value

CNAME go.example.com. alias.redirect.name.

If your DNS provider doesn't support CNAME flattening at the apex (sometimes offered as an ALIAS or ANAME record), you can use an A record pointing to 45.55.126.223 instead.
Add a TXT record at _redirect.<your-hostname>:

Type Name Value

TXT _redirect.go.example.com. Redirects to https://example.com/

The _redirect. prefix is required because TXT and CNAME records can't coexist at the same name.
Wait for DNS to propagate (usually a minute or two), then visit your hostname.

Type	Name	Value
`CNAME`	`go.example.com.`	`alias.redirect.name.`

Type	Name	Value
`TXT`	`_redirect.go.example.com.`	`Redirects to https://example.com/`

Redirect rules

The TXT record value is the rule. The syntax is plain English:

`TXT` record value	Behavior
`Redirects to <url>`	`302` to `<url>`
`Redirects permanently to <url>`	`301` to `<url>`
`Redirects from <path> to <url>`	`302` when the request path matches
`Redirects from <path> to <url> with 308`	Same, with explicit status: `301`, `302`, `307`, or `308`
`Redirects from /path/* to https://example.com/*`	Wildcard: whatever `` matches in the path replaces `` in the destination

Destinations can use http://, https://, ftp://, mailto:, magnet:, or an absolute path.

You can add multiple TXT records at the same name. Path-specific rules (Redirects from …) are tried first; catch-all rules (Redirects to …) only apply if no path rule matches.

Examples

Simple redirect. Send all traffic to a single URL:

Type	Name	Value
`TXT`	`_redirect.go.example.com.`	`Redirects to https://www.example.com/`

Permanent redirect. For moves that won't be undone:

Type	Name	Value
`TXT`	`_redirect.old.example.com.`	`Redirects permanently to https://new.example.com/`

Path routing. Redirect one path, send the rest somewhere else:

Type	Name	Value
`TXT`	`_redirect.docs.example.com.`	`Redirects from /api to https://api-docs.example.com/`
`TXT`	`_redirect.docs.example.com.`	`Redirects to https://docs.example.com/`

Wildcard forwarding. Whatever * matches in the path replaces * in the destination:

Type	Name	Value
`TXT`	`_redirect.links.example.com.`	`Redirects from /blog/* to https://blog.example.com/posts/*`

Other schemes. Redirect to mail, magnet links, etc.:

Type	Name	Value
`TXT`	`_redirect.hi.example.com.`	`Redirects to mailto:hello@example.com`

HTTPS

HTTPS works out of the box. Certificates are issued automatically by Let's Encrypt on the first request to a new hostname. That request may take a couple of seconds while the cert is provisioned; everything after is immediate.

Verifying your setup

If something isn't working, check what DNS is actually serving.

Confirm the CNAME or A record resolves:

dig +short go.example.com.

Confirm the TXT record is reachable and matches what you set:

dig +short TXT _redirect.go.example.com.

If both look right but the redirect doesn't happen, the rule may not parse. Make sure the value starts with the word Redirects (capitalized) and that the destination is a fully qualified URL or an absolute path.