# Redirect Chain Checker (`q_services/redirect-chain-checker`) Actor

Check URL redirect chains, final URLs, status codes, loops and too-long redirects in bulk.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/q\_services/redirect-chain-checker.md
- **Developed by:** [Q Services](https://apify.com/q_services) (community)
- **Categories:** SEO tools
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.20 / 1,000 checked urls

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Redirect Chain Checker

Check any list of URLs for redirects, final URLs, status codes, loops and chains that are too long.

**Example result:**

```json
{
    "originalUrl": "https://httpbin.org/redirect/1",
    "status": "redirected",
    "hopCount": 1,
    "finalStatusCode": 200,
    "finalUrl": "https://httpbin.org/get",
    "isClean": true,
    "scrapedAt": "2026-07-09T10:30:00.000Z"
}
```

### How to use it

1. Paste URLs from a migration, backlink list, sitemap export or campaign.
2. Set the maximum redirects to follow.
3. Export the dataset and fix loops, broken redirects or long chains.

### Pricing

| Event | Price |
|---|---:|
| Actor start | $0.005 |
| Checked URL | $0.0002 |

1,000 checked URLs cost about $0.205.

### Output fields

| Field | Type | Always present? |
|---|---|---|
| `originalUrl` | string | Yes |
| `status` | string | Yes |
| `finalUrl` | string | Yes |
| `finalStatusCode` | number | No |
| `hopCount` | number | Yes |
| `chain` | array | Yes |
| `isClean` | boolean | Yes |
| `error` | string | No |
| `scrapedAt` | ISO date | Yes |

### Limitations

- Follows HTTP redirects only.
- Uses HEAD first and falls back to GET when servers reject HEAD.
- Does not render JavaScript redirects.

# Actor input Schema

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

URLs to check for redirect chains, loops and final status codes.

## `maxRedirects` (type: `integer`):

Stop following a URL after this many redirects.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

The Actor stops and stops charging after this many URLs.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Proxy configuration. The default Apify Proxy works for most websites.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    "https://httpbin.org/redirect/1"
  ],
  "maxRedirects": 10,
  "maxResults": 100,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "startUrls": [
        "https://httpbin.org/redirect/1"
    ],
    "maxRedirects": 10,
    "maxResults": 100,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("q_services/redirect-chain-checker").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "startUrls": ["https://httpbin.org/redirect/1"],
    "maxRedirects": 10,
    "maxResults": 100,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("q_services/redirect-chain-checker").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "startUrls": [
    "https://httpbin.org/redirect/1"
  ],
  "maxRedirects": 10,
  "maxResults": 100,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}' |
apify call q_services/redirect-chain-checker --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=q_services/redirect-chain-checker",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/koMCK312HjZ0hxsk1/builds/xOurX3nfQCmh6cgDb/openapi.json