How to Add Custom Redirects on Bluehost Cloud

Using the file's custom redirects on Bluehost Cloud Hosting, you can modify certain per-site request behaviors. This file is executed before any PHP script is accessed on the site, making it a powerful tool for custom redirects, security enhancements, and access controls. However, it is important to note that custom-redirects.php should be used sparingly. Solutions should constantly be tested thoroughly with page and edge caching in mind. 

• Recommendations
• Getting Started
• Best Practices and Considerations
• Add Custom Redirects
  • Basic Page Redirect
  • Add Security Headers
  • Site Redirect
  • Geoblocking by Country Code
  • Basic Access Block
  • Limiting Access by IP
• Summary

Recommendations

Before implementing changes via custom-redirects.php, consider alternative solutions. If using it, be sure to:

• Test your implementation thoroughly, especially with page and edge caches in place.
• Avoid overuse of this file to prevent unnecessary complexity or performance issues.

Getting Started

1. Create the custom-redirects.php file:
   • Locate your site's htdocs directory.
   • Create a file named custom-redirects.php.
   • Ensure the file begins with the PHP opening tag <?php.
2. Modify request behaviors:
   • You can now add custom PHP code to modify the behavior of incoming requests to your site.

Best Practices and Considerations

• Testing: Be sure to carefully test any changes made via custom-redirects.php, particularly with caching systems like page cache and edge cache. Incorrect configurations may lead to unexpected results or performance issues.
• Performance Impact: Because custom-redirects.php is executed on every request, overusing complex scripts or multiple redirects can negatively impact your site's performance. Always consider performance when using this file.

Add Custom Redirects

Below are several common use cases with examples for implementing custom-redirects.php on your Bluehost Cloud site.

Basic Page Redirect

This simple redirect will send users to a new location if they visit a specific page. 

if ( $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] == '/subdir' ) {
    header('HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently');
    header('Location: /subdir-new');
    exit;
}

Add Security Headers

To enhance security, you can add various HTTP headers.

header('X-XSS-Protection: 1; mode=block');
header('X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff');
header('X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN');
header('Referrer-Policy: no-referrer-when-downgrade');

Site Redirect

You can perform a site-wide redirect based on specific conditions, such as redirecting the homepage to a different URL.

if ( $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] == 'https://your-domain.site.com' && 
 $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] == '/' ) {
 header('HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently');
 header('Location: https://externeral-url.com/news'); 
 exit;
}

Geoblocking by Country Code

Geoblocking restricts access via country code. This example only allows requests from the United States (US) and Canada (CA), bypassing the check for PHP-FPM and CLI requests.

// Array of allowed country codes
$allowedCountries = ['US', 'CA'];

Get the current server API
$api = php_sapi_name();
// Bypass geo checks for non-web server APIs
if ($api == 'fpm-fcgi' || $api == 'cli') {
 return; // Early exit for CLI or FPM contexts
}
// Retrieve the country code or default to blocking access
$countryCode = $_SERVER['GEOIP_COUNTRY_CODE'] ?? 'Unknown'; // Using null coalescing operator for clarity

// Block access if the country code is not allowed
if (!in_array($countryCode, $allowedCountries)) {
 header('HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found', true, 404);
 exit;
}

Basic Access Block

To block access to a specific file or folder, you can use the following snippet, which returns a 410 Gone HTTP status.

if ( strpos($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'],'{file or folder name here, no curly braces}') !== false ) {
 http_response_code( 410 );
 exit;
}

Limiting Access by IP

You can use a script like the one below to restrict access to certain pages or sections of your site based on a visitor's IP address. It only allows access from specific proxy IPs.

/**
 * The following blocks the sandbox URI to anyone who isn't on a COMPANY_EXAMPLE_1 or COMPANY_EXAMPLE_2 Proxies
 * 123.456.789.101 is COMPANY_EXAMPLE_1's Proxy
 * 987.654.321.000 is COMPANY_EXAMPLE_2's Proxy
 */
$ips = array('123.456.789.101','987.654.321.000');


if ( strpos($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'],'/sandbox') !== false ) {
 if ( !in_array($_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'],$ips) ) {
 header('HTTP/1.0 403 Forbidden');
 echo '403 Forbidden';
 exit;
 }
 }

Summary

While custom-redirects.php offers a flexible way to modify request behavior on a Bluehost Cloud site, it should be used sparingly. Always ensure that any solution implemented is well-tested and does not conflict with caching mechanisms or other server settings. Explore alternative solutions or consult with our support team when in doubt.