When should I use 308 instead of 301?

Use 308 when you are permanently moving an API endpoint that receives POST, PUT, or PATCH requests. 301 would convert those to GET, breaking the API call.

Does 301 vs 308 affect SEO?

Both are permanent redirects and transfer PageRank equivalently. Google treats them the same for SEO purposes.

What about 302 vs 307?

302 is temporary and may convert POST to GET (same as 301). 307 is temporary and preserves method (same as 308, but temporary). Use 301/308 for permanent moves, 302/307 for temporary.

Headers

301 vs 308 Redirect — Which Should You Use for SEO and APIs

Updated April 2026

 Reading this? Verify your fix live. Audit your redirect headers → EdgeFix

Both 301 and 308 are permanent redirects. The difference is one detail: 301 changes POST to GET on redirect. 308 preserves the original HTTP method. For browser page redirects this does not matter — for APIs it does.

The difference visualised

# 301 Moved Permanently
POST /old-endpoint → 301 → GET /new-endpoint  ← method changed!

# 308 Permanent Redirect
POST /old-endpoint → 308 → POST /new-endpoint  ← method preserved ✅

When to use each

Situation	Use	Why
www to non-www	301	Browser navigation — method change irrelevant
HTTP to HTTPS	301	Browser navigation — use HSTS instead for repeat visits
Old page URL to new URL	301	Standard permanent page move
Old API endpoint to new	308	API clients use POST/PUT — preserve the method
Domain migration	301	Standard — browsers follow automatically

Config by stack

Nginx — 301 (page redirect)

server { listen 80; server_name yourapp.com; return 301 https://yourapp.com$request_uri;  # HTTP → HTTPS
}

server { server_name www.yourapp.com; return 301 https://yourapp.com$request_uri;  # www → non-www
}

Nginx — 308 (API endpoint move)

location /api/v1/submit { return 308 /api/v2/submit;  # preserves POST method
}

Vercel (vercel.json)

{ "redirects": [ { "source": "/old-page", "destination": "/new-page", "permanent": true  // uses 308 in Vercel }, { "source": "/api/v1/:path*", "destination": "/api/v2/:path*", "permanent": true } ]
}

Cloudflare Redirect Rules

# Rules → Redirect Rules → Create Rule
# Choose: 301 Moved Permanently or 308 Permanent Redirect
# Source: /old-path
# Target: /new-path

The full redirect status code map

Code	Permanent?	Preserves method?	Use for
301	✅ Yes	❌ No (POST → GET)	Page moves, domain changes
302	❌ No	❌ No (POST → GET)	Temporary redirects (login, auth)
307	❌ No	✅ Yes	Temporary API endpoint changes
308	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Permanent API endpoint moves

Audit your redirect headers → EdgeFix

Check if your domain is on the HSTS preload list → HSTS Preload Checker