Domain forwarding
An HTTP redirect that sends users from one domain to another. The address bar changes. Different from domain mapping, which is invisible to users.
Domain forwarding is an HTTP 301 or 302 response that tells the browser "this URL is somewhere else now." The browser navigates to the new URL, and the address bar updates.
GET / HTTP/1.1
Host: old-domain.com
HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://new-domain.com/
Forwarding vs mapping
The terms get confused all the time. They're not the same:
| Forwarding | Mapping | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens | HTTP redirect (301/302) | Transparent proxy |
| Address bar | Changes to target URL | Stays at original URL |
| SEO | Passes authority via redirect | Original URL ranks |
| Use case | Replacing one domain with another | Custom domains in SaaS |
For SaaS custom domains, you want mapping, not forwarding. Forwarding defeats the purpose: the customer's user lands at YOUR URL, not theirs.
When forwarding IS right
- You're moving a site to a new domain permanently. 301 from old to new preserves SEO.
- You're consolidating tracking.
acme.ioredirects toacme.com. - You're shortening a long URL for sharing.
Where to configure it
Most registrars have a "forwarding" feature in their dashboard, free, but it's HTTP-only (no HTTPS). For HTTPS forwarding you need a server that issues the redirect, which means a cert on the source domain, which means real hosting. Some services (Cloudflare Page Rules, AWS S3 + CloudFront) do hosted HTTPS redirects.