How can I force all website traffic to use HTTPS securely?
Asked on Sep 18, 2025
Answer
To force all website traffic to use HTTPS securely, you can use HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) and server-side redirects. HSTS ensures that browsers only connect to your site over HTTPS, while redirects help transition users from HTTP to HTTPS.
<!-- BEGIN COPY / PASTE -->
# Example for Apache
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
</IfModule>
# HSTS Header
Header always set Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains"
<!-- END COPY / PASTE -->Additional Comment:
- Ensure that your SSL/TLS certificate is valid and properly configured before forcing HTTPS.
- Use a permanent redirect (301) to inform search engines of the change.
- The HSTS header should be set only after confirming that your site is fully accessible over HTTPS.
✅ Answered with Security best practices.
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