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Use return for a known redirect or fixed status, rewrite when a regular expression must transform a URI, and try_files when the decision depends on whether a file or directory exists. The crucial flag choice is last versus break: last starts a new location search, while break keeps processing in the current location. The examples below show how those directives are evaluated, how to avoid rewrite loops, and how to translate common Apache patterns into an NGINX configuration.
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What NGINX URL rewriting does
The ngx_http_rewrite_module changes request URIs with PCRE regular expressions, returns redirects and other status responses, and conditionally selects configuration. Rewrite directives can run in a server context and then in the selected location. If a rewrite changes the URI and triggers another location lookup, NGINX repeats that processing. The documented safety limit is 10 rewrite or internal-redirect cycles for one request.
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A rewrite can be internal or external. An internal rewrite changes the URI NGINX uses to choose a handler; the browser keeps the original address. An external redirect sends a response such as 301 or 302, and the browser requests the new address. That distinction affects bookmarks, caches, crawlers and whether a second HTTP request is made.
NGINX executes multiple rewrite directives in the order written. Put narrow, high-confidence matches before broad ones, and decide deliberately whether a changed URI should be looked up against the location tree again.
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Choose the right directive
| Need | Best starting point | What the client sees | New location search? | Main caution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One known destination, canonical host, HTTP-to-HTTPS policy, blocked path or fixed response | return |
Redirect or status response | Not applicable | Choose the status and canonical scheme deliberately. |
| Transform a URI using captures and a regular expression | rewrite |
Internal URI change unless the replacement or flag creates a redirect | last starts one; break does not |
Ordered rules can overlap or loop. |
| Serve an existing file or directory, otherwise hand off to an application | try_files |
Usually internal routing | Depends on the final fallback | Use it for existence checks instead of a long regex chain. |
The NGINX Community Blog describes return as the simpler general-purpose directive and recommends it instead of rewrite when possible. The practical rule is to begin with the least complex directive that expresses the policy.
Use return for fixed redirects and responses
Syntax and behavior
return takes a status code and, depending on the form, a URL or response text. It is ideal when no pattern matching is required. Because it ends request processing immediately, it is easier to reason about than a regular-expression rule.
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Canonical host with a dedicated server block
server {
listen 80;
server_name example.org;
return 301 http://www.example.org$request_uri;
}This separate-server pattern is the form shown in NGINX conversion guidance for moving a noncanonical host to a canonical one. Replace the host and scheme with the values your deployment actually uses. If TLS is terminated by a load balancer or another proxy, establish which forwarded scheme is authoritative before constructing an HTTPS redirect; otherwise a backend can redirect an already-secure request repeatedly.
Other fixed responses
server {
listen 80;
server_name example.org;
location = /private-preview {
return 403;
}
location = /old-health-endpoint {
return 410;
}
}Exact locations make a fixed response readable. A return can also include response text where the selected status permits it. Keep unconditional host policies at server level so they do not compete with application locations.
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Use rewrite for regular-expression URI transformations
Directive syntax
rewrite regex replacement [flag];The regular expression is matched against the request URI. Captures can be inserted into the replacement as $1, $2 and so on. If the replacement begins with http://, https:// or $scheme, NGINX returns a redirect rather than merely changing the internal URI.
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Ordered media-path transformation
location /download/ {
rewrite ^(/download/.*)/media/(.*)..*$ $1/mp3/$2.mp3 last;
rewrite ^(/download/.*)/audio/(.*)..*$ $1/mp3/$2.ra last;
}These rules illustrate two important properties: NGINX evaluates them top to bottom, and the first matching rewrite with last ends that directive set and starts a new location search. The captures preserve the directory and filename portions while changing the media path and extension. If both expressions could match the same URI, put the more specific rule first.
When a regex redirect is appropriate
A regex redirect is useful for a family of old URLs that share a stable pattern. For a single known URL, a literal return is clearer. For a rule whose real question is “does this file exist?”, regex is the wrong abstraction; use try_files instead.
last versus break
| Flag | Effect after the replacement | Use it when | Typical risk |
|---|---|---|---|
last |
Stops the current rewrite set and performs a new location search for the changed URI. | The new URI should be handled by another location or by a different location-specific configuration. | The new search can match the original rule again and create an internal redirection cycle. |
break |
Stops the current rewrite set without starting a new location search. | The URI should remain in the current location and continue to its existing handler. | The current location may not contain the handler you expected for the rewritten URI. |
Suppose a location rewrites /download/file/media/song.wav to /download/file/mp3/song.mp3. Use last if the destination must be evaluated against the location tree again. Use break if the current location already knows how to serve or proxy the destination and another lookup would be unnecessary. The correct choice is architectural, not a performance trick.
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Whenever a last rule can produce a URI that still matches its own location and expression, test the cycle explicitly. NGINX stops after 10 rewrite or internal-redirect cycles, and the error log can report an “internal redirection cycle” or “rewrite or internal redirection cycle” symptom. A cycle limit is a failure guard, not a successful routing strategy.
Use try_files for files, directories and front controllers
Basic fallback pattern
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ @app;
}
location @app {
proxy_pass http://backend;
}try_files checks candidates in order. In this example, NGINX first tests the request path as a file, then as a directory, and finally transfers control to the named application location. Adapt the final handler to the application protocol you use, such as proxying to an upstream or passing to a FastCGI service.
This shape is usually clearer than encoding every file and directory case as a regular expression. It also makes the fallback policy visible: existing static content wins, and only a miss reaches the application.
Maintenance and index candidates
location / {
try_files /maintenance.html $uri $uri/index.html $uri.html @app;
}
location @app {
proxy_pass http://backend;
}The conversion guide’s representative sequence includes a maintenance file, $uri, $uri/index.html, $uri.html and an application fallback. Adjust the order to your site’s policy. Putting the maintenance candidate first makes it take precedence over normal content; omitting it removes that behavior.
try_files is an existence test, not a replacement for a business rule. Do not use it to infer authorization, user identity or application state. Let the application make those decisions after the request reaches its handler.
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How NGINX processes a rewrite
Server-level processing
Server-context rewrite directives run before NGINX settles on the final location for the current URI. This is why a dedicated server block is a natural place for host canonicalization: the request can be redirected before location-specific routing is considered.
Location-level processing
After a location is selected, its rewrite directives execute in declaration order. A rewrite with last changes the URI and sends NGINX back through location selection. The new location then runs its own applicable directives. A break ends the current rewrite set without that new search, so processing remains with the current location and its handler.
The ten-cycle limit
Every internal redirect or location restart consumes another pass. NGINX limits this rewrite loop to 10 cycles. A configuration that reaches the limit usually has overlapping location patterns, a fallback that rewrites back to its input, or a last rule whose output still matches the same rule. Design an explicit terminal path—an actual file, a named application location or a final response—rather than relying on the cycle limit.
Converting Apache .htaccess rules
NGINX does not process .htaccess files. Its configuration is loaded centrally, so rules must be placed in the appropriate http, server or location context and then the configuration must be tested and reloaded.
| Common Apache intent | NGINX shape | Migration decision |
|---|---|---|
| Host condition that redirects one hostname to another | Separate server blocks with return 301 |
Express the host split structurally instead of reproducing nested conditions. |
| Serve a real file or directory, otherwise route to the application | try_files $uri $uri/ @app; |
Use file checks instead of a chain of negative rewrite conditions. |
| Pattern-based path conversion | rewrite with captures and an intentional flag |
Translate the expression to PCRE syntax and decide whether a new location search is required. |
Apache rules often rely on per-directory context, where the directory prefix has already been removed from the match. NGINX expressions are matched against the request URI in the NGINX location model, so preserve or remove path prefixes deliberately when translating. A direct line-for-line copy is rarely correct. For a large legacy configuration, a dedicated rewrite-rule guide such as the one in Mastering NGINX can be useful, but every translated rule still needs testing in your own location tree.
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Practical rewrite recipes
HTTP to HTTPS
server {
listen 80;
server_name example.org www.example.org;
return 301 https://example.org$request_uri;
}This is appropriate when plain HTTP is never the canonical endpoint. If another device terminates TLS before this server, verify the proxy’s forwarding behavior first; otherwise both layers can disagree about the scheme.
Permanent path move
location = /old-guide {
return 301 /new-guide;
}A literal path is easier to audit than a regex that matches only one value. Keep the redirect target relative when the host and scheme should remain unchanged.
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location /legacy/ {
rewrite ^/legacy/(.*)$ /articles/$1 permanent;
}The permanent flag makes this a 301. Check that the resulting /articles/ URI is handled by a different location or by the intended application route; if the rewrite must stay within the current location, evaluate break instead of last.
Static assets with an application fallback
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ @app;
}
location @app {
proxy_pass http://backend;
}Keep this as the default shape for a front-controller application unless a specific rule genuinely needs regex captures. It prevents a request for an existing asset from being needlessly rewritten into application code.
Validation and troubleshooting
Validate before reloading
- Run the installed NGINX binary’s configuration test, commonly
nginx -t. Fix syntax, context and duplicate-directive errors before touching live workers. - Reload only after the test succeeds, using the service manager or the installed binary’s reload signal. A reload applies the new configuration without treating an untested file as production-ready.
- Exercise both the intended match and a near miss. Test a URI that should redirect, one that should remain internal, an existing file, a missing file and the application fallback.
- Inspect the error log when a request loops, reaches an unexpected location or bypasses a static file. Look specifically for internal-redirection-cycle messages.
Useful request checks
curl -I http://example.org/old-guide
curl -I http://example.org/static/app.css
curl -I http://example.org/missing-routeHeader-only requests let you confirm status codes and Location headers without downloading a response body. For an internal rewrite, the client will not receive a redirect location; verify the final status and the server-side handler instead.
Common failure modes
- Unexpected 301 or 302: a replacement beginning with
http://,https://or$scheme, or an explicit redirect flag, turns the rewrite into an external response. Check the replacement and flag. - Rule never matches: the expression may include the wrong directory prefix, appear after a broader rule, or be placed in a location that is never selected. Review the URI being matched and directive order.
- Rewrite loop: a
lastresult is selecting the same location again, or the fallback eventually rewrites to its input. Make the destination terminal or usebreakwhen no new lookup is required. - Static file reaches the application: the
try_filescandidates do not correspond to the on-disk path, or the file test is after an unconditional rewrite. Put existence checks first and verify the server root. - Works directly but not behind a proxy: scheme and host headers may be changed before NGINX sees the request. Reconcile TLS termination and forwarded-header policy before writing canonical redirects.
A decision checklist for production rules
- Is the outcome a single, known response? Use
return. - Does a regular expression need to capture and transform part of the URI? Use
rewrite. - Is the decision based on whether a file or directory exists? Use
try_files. - Should the changed URI be evaluated against another location? Choose
last. - Should the current location keep handling the changed URI? Choose
break. - Are specific expressions above general expressions?
- Does every path have a terminal handler that cannot rewrite back to itself?
- Have you tested the configuration with the installed NGINX binary and checked logs after reload?
The dependable NGINX design is deliberately boring: fixed policies in server-level return statements, narrowly scoped regex rewrites, and try_files for filesystem checks and front-controller fallbacks. Treat last as a request to restart location selection, treat break as a request to stay put, and verify every rule against the actual proxy and TLS topology that serves it.
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