Question

If I want to redirect a user in PHP, all I’ve ever known to do was use the header(‘Location:’ http://www.example.com) but I’ve been reading that this isn’t the best way to redirect a user from page to page internally. What are some other options you can redirect a user?

Example: at the bottom it says:

Something Important to Remember

…I don’t recommend, for example, using header() to bounce your users around to different pages; there are better methods that reduce the number of page loads and give the user a more fluid experience…

http://tinsology.net/2009/06/creating-a-secure-login-system-the-right-way/

Answer 1

The snippet you provided is referring to issues where page1.php might execute some code followed by header('Lodation: http://www.example.com/page2.php'); and where page2.php then executes some code followed by header('Location: http://www.example.com/page3.php'); etc. This is very bad for user experience, and not very good for managing code either.

In cases where you genuinely need to redirect a user (301 redirect is probably the most common), using header is perfectly acceptable.