Redirecting your website from HTTP to HTTPS is essential for security, SEO, and user trust.
Without HTTPS, browsers may flag your site as “Not Secure,” which can negatively impact visitor confidence and search engine rankings.
On the Cloudways Platform, you can easily enable HTTPS redirection with a simple toggle — no code or manual configuration required.
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Note: Applicable to Cloudways Flexible only.
Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
Enforcing HTTPS redirection is a crucial step in securing your website, improving SEO performance, and building user trust.
Without HTTPS, modern browsers may display a “Not Secure” warning, which can discourage visitors and impact your search rankings.
While installing an SSL certificate secures your website, it doesn’t automatically prevent users from accessing the HTTP version.
For complete protection, you need to force a redirect from HTTP to HTTPS — ensuring all traffic is securely routed through an encrypted connection.
On the Cloudways Platform, HTTPS redirection is enabled by default when you launch a new application.
However, if it’s disabled or you’ve migrated your site, you can manually enable HTTPS redirection with a single toggle — no code edits or server changes required.
This process creates a 301 permanent redirect, which automatically sends users and search engines from the unsecured HTTP version to the secure HTTPS version of your website — helping to block intruder access and maintain SEO continuity.
Important: If you’ve already configured HTTPS redirection through a WAF service like Cloudflare or Sucuri, or by using an application plugin or modifying the .htaccess file, do not enable HTTPS redirection from the Cloudways Platform. Doing so may cause redirect conflicts, resulting in errors like “too many redirects.”
To enable HTTPS redirection from the Cloudways Platform, make sure to first disable any existing redirection rules elsewhere, then follow the steps in this article.
What is HTTP?
HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The underlying application layer protocol is used primarily on the World Wide Web (www). It enables users to communicate and exchange information found on web pages, such as images, videos, text, etc.
Having HTTP in front of a website (e.g., http://www.anotherwebsite.ga) tells the internet browser to communicate over the HTTP protocol. This means data exchanged or transferred over HTTP is not encrypted and is considered unsecured; web browsers warn of an unsecured connection.
For instance, this website is requested over HTTP, and the Google Chrome browser shows a “Not secure” warning.
What is HTTPS?
HTTPS refers to Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. It is a more secure version of the HTTP protocol as it involves the use of Transport Layer Security (TLS) and its predecessor Secure Sockets Layer (SSL); thus, the communication and data exchange between a web browser and website is more secure and encrypted.
Having HTTPS in front of a website (e.g., https://www.anotherwebsite.ga) tells the internet browser to communicate over the HTTPS protocol.
This means data exchanged or transferred over HTTPS is safe and encrypted; web browsers generate a padlock to show their security.
For instance, this website is requested over HTTPS, and the Google Chrome browser shows a padlock.
Why Migrate to HTTPS?
HTTPS is currently a widely used application layer protocol on the World Wide Web, and there are several reasons to migrate to HTTPS:
Enhanced Security: HTTP is vulnerable to hacks, credential theft, and malicious code.
Protect Sensitive Data: HTTPS encrypts data, making it ideal for eCommerce and login-based sites.
Avoid Browser Warnings: Modern browsers flag HTTP sites as “Not Secure,” which affects user trust.
SEO Benefits: Google gives ranking preference to secure HTTPS websites.
Accurate Analytics: Only HTTPS-to-HTTPS traffic preserves correct referral data in Google Analytics.
How to Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
Prerequisites
Before applying redirection, you need to make sure that the SSL Certificate is deployed on your website.
Click here to learn about an SSL Certificate and the differences between Single, Multiple, and Wildcard SSL.
The following kinds of SSL Certificates can be installed using the Cloudways Platform.
Following are a few steps that can help redirect your website to HTTPS using the Cloudways Platform.
Alternatively, you can also watch the video below:
Log in to your Cloudways Platform using your credentials.
From the top menu bar, open Servers.
Next, choose the server where your desired application is deployed.
Click www (if you are using Classic Interface) or the globe icon (if you are using New Interface).
Next, choose your application.
Under Application Management, select Application Settings.
Navigate to the General tab.
Scroll down and enable HTTPS Redirection.
A dialog box will appear asking for confirmation so after reading the disclaimer, click Yes to proceed with implementing the redirection.
That's it! The HTTPS redirection will now be enabled on your application in a few minutes.
How to Verify HTTPS Redirection
Here are a few simple steps to verify the HTTPS redirection on your website.
First, clear your browser’s cache and cookies, purge the Varnish cache, and restart the Apache web server via Cloudways Platform.
You can use a third-party tool such as WhyNoPadlock to see if your website is successfully forcing HTTPS redirection.
Additionally, you can check the redirect map using a third-party tool called Redirect Checker.
You will see the HTTP status code 301 redirect, which shows your website's redirection from HTTP to HTTPS.
HTTP status code 301 Moved Permanently refers to a 301 permanent redirect.
Now, you can open your website with HTTP, but all your website requests will be served with HTTPS every time.
There are some other safety measures that we recommend you should take after installing an SSL certificate besides HTTPS redirection.
That’s it! We hope this article was helpful.
Need Help?
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