Cloudflare Page Rules and Redirects: The Complete Guide

At Robuust, we handle this for you. We configure redirects, caching, and performance settings as part of our hosting services. Want to manage it yourself or learn more? Read on.

Page Rules are one of the most powerful features in Cloudflare. They allow you to set specific behavior per URL pattern: redirects, caching, security settings, and more. In this guide, we explain everything.

What Are Page Rules?

Page Rules are configurations that only apply to URLs matching a specific pattern. Examples include:

• All URLs starting with /blog/*
• The exact URL example.com/old-page
• Everything under a subdomain: api.example.com/*

You can then set specific actions for those URLs.

Page Rules vs. New Features

Cloudflare is in the process of replacing Page Rules with specific features:

| Old (Page Rules) | New | |-----------------|-------| | Forwarding URL | Redirect Rules | | Cache Level | Cache Rules | | Security Level | WAF Custom Rules |

Both still work, but the new features offer more flexibility. We cover both.

Configuring Page Rules

Navigating to Page Rules

1. Log in to Cloudflare
2. Select your website
3. Go to Rules > Page Rules

Free Plan Limit

The free plan includes 3 Page Rules. Need more? Consider:

• Pro plan (20 rules)
• The new Rules features (more free rules)

URL Matching

Page Rules use wildcard matching:

Exact URL:

example.com/contact

Wildcard at end:

example.com/blog/*

Matches: /blog/, /blog/article, /blog/2025/post

Wildcard at beginning:

*.example.com/

Matches all subdomains

Combination:

*.example.com/*

Matches everything on all subdomains

Common Page Rules

1. WWW to non-WWW Redirect

Redirect all www traffic to non-www:

URL: www.example.com/*

Setting: Forwarding URL (301 Permanent)

Destination: https://example.com/$1

The $1 captures everything that the * matches.

2. Non-WWW to WWW Redirect

The reverse:

URL: example.com/*

Setting: Forwarding URL (301 Permanent)

Destination: https://www.example.com/$1

3. HTTP to HTTPS Redirect

Force HTTPS for everything:

URL: http://*example.com/*

Setting: Forwarding URL (301 Permanent)

Destination: https://$1example.com/$2

Or better: Use "Always Use HTTPS" in SSL/TLS settings.

4. Old URL to New

A relocated page:

URL: example.com/old-page

Setting: Forwarding URL (301 Permanent)

Destination: https://example.com/new-page

5. Cache Everything

Fully cache static pages:

URL: example.com/landing/*

Settings:

• Cache Level: Cache Everything
• Edge Cache TTL: 1 month

6. Bypass Cache

Don't cache admin area:

URL: example.com/wp-admin/*

Settings:

• Cache Level: Bypass
• Disable Apps (optional)
• Disable Performance (optional)

7. Increase Security for Login

Extra protection for login page:

URL: example.com/wp-login.php

Settings:

• Security Level: High
• Browser Integrity Check: On

8. Entire Site Under Construction

Temporarily redirect everything:

URL: example.com/*

Setting: Forwarding URL (302 Temporary)

Destination: https://example.com/maintenance.html

Note: Exclude the maintenance page itself!

Redirect Rules (New Method)

Why Redirect Rules?

• No limit of 3 rules
• More targeting options
• Better performance
• Free 10 rules

Configuring Redirect Rules

1. Go to Rules > Redirect Rules
2. Click "Create rule"
3. Configure the rule

Example: Adding Trailing Slash

If:

• URI Path does not end with "/"
• URI Path does not contain "."

Then redirect to:

• concat(http.request.uri.path, "/")
• Status code: 301

Example: Subdirectory Redirect

If:

• URI Path starts with "/blog"

Then redirect to:

• https://blog.example.com
• Status code: 301
• Preserve query string: Yes

Cache Rules (New Method)

Configuring Cache Rules

1. Go to Caching > Cache Rules
2. Click "Create rule"

Example: Long Cache for Static Assets

If:

• File extension is in ["jpg", "png", "gif", "css", "js"]

Then:

• Cache eligibility: Eligible for cache
• Edge TTL: 1 year
• Browser TTL: 1 year

Example: Don't Cache API Responses

If:

• URI Path starts with "/api/"

Then:

• Cache eligibility: Bypass cache

Bulk Redirects

For many redirects (migrations), use Bulk Redirects:

1. Go to Rules > Bulk Redirects
2. Create a Redirect List
3. Upload CSV or add manually

CSV format:

/old-url-1,/new-url-1,301
/old-url-2,/new-url-2,301
/product/123,/products/old-product,301

You can have up to 500 redirects per list, 20,000 total.

Transform Rules

Modify requests or responses without redirect:

URL Rewrite

Change the URL internally (visitor sees original URL):

If:

• URI Path equals "/home"

Then rewrite to:

• /index.html

Header Modification

Add or modify headers:

Add response header:

• X-Custom-Header: value

Remove request header:

• Remove: X-Unwanted-Header

Troubleshooting

Redirect Loop

You get ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS:

Causes:

1. Rule redirects to URL that also matches
2. SSL Flexible + force HTTPS on server
3. Conflicting rules

Solution:

• Check SSL mode (Full Strict)
• Review all Page Rules
• Check server redirects

Rule Not Working

Checklist:

1. Is the order correct? (top one wins)
2. Is the URL pattern correct?
3. Is DNS set to Proxied (orange cloud)?
4. Wait 5 minutes after creation

Testing Rules

1. Use curl with -I flag:

curl -I https://example.com/test-url

2. Check response headers:

• Location header for redirects
• CF-Cache-Status for caching

3. Browser DevTools:

• Network tab
• Check redirect chain

Best Practices

1. Minimize Page Rules

With only 3 free rules, use them strategically:

• Use "Always Use HTTPS" for HTTPS redirect
• Use Redirect Rules for URL redirects
• Save Page Rules for caching configuration

2. Document Your Rules

Keep track of what each rule does and why. Page Rules don't have a description field, so document externally.

3. Test Before Production

Test rules on a staging domain or with specific test URLs before applying broadly.

4. Mind the Order

Rules are evaluated from top to bottom. The first match wins.

Wrong order:

1. example.com/* > Cache Everything
2. example.com/admin/* > Bypass Cache - Never reached!

Correct order:

1. example.com/admin/* > Bypass Cache
2. example.com/* > Cache Everything

5. Use 301 vs 302 Correctly

• 301 Permanent: SEO value is transferred, browsers cache
• 302 Temporary: No SEO transfer, not cached

Use 301 for permanent moves, 302 for temporary ones.

Example Configuration

Complete setup for a WordPress site:

Rule 1: Bypass admin

URL: example.com/wp-admin/*
Actions: Cache Level: Bypass

Rule 2: Bypass login

URL: example.com/wp-login.php
Actions: Cache Level: Bypass, Security Level: High

Rule 3: Cache content

URL: example.com/wp-content/*
Actions: Cache Level: Cache Everything, Edge TTL: 1 month

Plus Redirect Rules for:

• WWW to non-WWW
• Old URLs to new

Conclusion

Page Rules and the newer Rules features give you precise control over how Cloudflare treats your site. Start with the basics - redirects and caching - and build from there.

With the new Redirect Rules and Cache Rules, you have more flexibility than ever, without the limit of 3 Page Rules in the free plan.

Need help configuring your Cloudflare rules? Contact us.

More About Cloudflare

This article is part of our Cloudflare series:

• Cloudflare Setup for Beginners - Start here if you're new
• Faster Website with Cloudflare CDN - Performance optimization
• Cloudflare DNS Management - DNS configuration explained
• Secure Your Website with Cloudflare - DDoS protection and firewall