HTTP Status Check
See the HTTP status code a URL returns, follow the redirect chain (up to 5 hops — more than that is a problem in itself), and read the response headers — all in plain English.
PingStuff follows each redirect hop and reports the final status code, so you can see whether a URL ends at a healthy page or a dead end.
Every time a browser requests a page, the server replies with a three-digit HTTP status code that says what happened: 200 means success, a 3xx is a redirect, a 4xx means the request was rejected, and a 5xx means the server itself failed. Enter a URL above and PingStuff makes the request, follows any redirects, and shows the code at each step plus the final destination.
Redirects matter more than they seem. A single http-to-https or www redirect is normal, but a long chain slows every visit, and a redirect that loops back on itself breaks the page entirely. Seeing the whole chain in one place makes those problems obvious.
What to do next
- Read the final status code first. A 200 means the page loaded; a 4xx or 5xx tells you whether the problem is the request (like a wrong URL) or the server.
- Check the redirect chain for surprises — extra hops, a mix of http and https, or a loop. Aim to send visitors to the final address in as few hops as possible.
- If you see a 500 or 503, the server hit an error or reached its limit; check your host's status and application logs, then re-run the check after a fix. Our guides explain what causes a 500 error and what causes a 503 — and what to do about each.
To get an email the moment a URL starts returning an error code — SMS alerts are rolling out — turn on monitoring.
Frequently asked questions
What do the common status codes mean?
200 is success; 301 and 302 are redirects; 403 means access was refused; 404 means the page was not found; 500 is a server error; and 503 means the server is temporarily unavailable or overloaded.
Why does my URL redirect several times?
Common causes are forcing https, adding or removing www, and normalising trailing slashes. Each is a separate hop. They are fine individually, but stacking several adds delay to every request and is worth trimming.
What is a redirect chain, and why does it matter?
It is the sequence of hops between the URL you enter and the page that finally loads. Long chains slow visitors and waste crawl budget, and a chain that loops never resolves — so the page never appears.
PingStuff shows a 403 or 503, but the site works in my browser. Why?
Some servers and CDNs treat automated requests differently from a logged-in browser — challenging or rate-limiting them. It can also be a brief overload. Re-run the check, and compare with what a fresh browser session sees.
Which response headers does PingStuff report?
The plain-English report leads with the status code and the redirect chain; the full set of response headers from the final answer is in the Technical detail section. It is a fast read first, with everything there when you want it.