adminCloudflare Too Many Redirects Checklist for WordPress
Too many redirects usually means the browser is trapped in a redirect loop. With WordPress and Cloudflare, this often happens when Cloudflare SSL mode, WordPress site URL, Nginx redirects and HTTPS settings conflict with each other.
Common causes
- Cloudflare SSL mode is set incorrectly.
- WordPress Address and Site Address use the wrong scheme.
- Nginx redirects HTTP to HTTPS while Cloudflare also redirects.
- Really Simple SSL or another plugin conflicts with server redirects.
- www and non-www redirects conflict.
Checklist
- Check Cloudflare SSL/TLS mode.
- Prefer Full or Full Strict if origin SSL is installed.
- Check WordPress Address and Site Address.
- Check Nginx redirect rules.
- Check www to non-www or non-www to www redirects.
- Disable duplicate SSL redirect plugin if server handles HTTPS.
- Clear Cloudflare cache.
- Clear WordPress cache.
- Test in incognito browser.
- Check redirect chain with a redirect checker if needed.
Final check
There should be only one clean redirect path. For example, HTTP non-www should redirect to HTTPS non-www once, not loop between Cloudflare, Nginx and WordPress.
When to Use This Checklist
Use this checklist when a WordPress site behind Cloudflare shows too many redirects or redirect loop errors.
Required Tools
Cloudflare access, WordPress admin, Nginx access, SSL certificate, cache plugin access, browser incognito mode
Before You Start
Before changing redirects, write down the desired final URL format such as https non-www or https www.
Structured Checklist Steps
- Check Cloudflare SSL mode.
- Confirm origin SSL exists.
- Check WordPress Address URL.
- Check Site Address URL.
- Review Nginx redirect rules.
- Check www redirect direction.
- Disable duplicate SSL plugin redirect if needed.
- Clear Cloudflare cache.
- Clear WordPress cache.
- Test redirect chain.
Verification Steps
- Open HTTP version.
- Open HTTPS version.
- Test www and non-www.
- Confirm final URL is consistent.
- Confirm no redirect loop appears in incognito mode.
Rollback Plan
If the site becomes inaccessible after a redirect change, temporarily disable the latest redirect rule in Nginx or Cloudflare and return to the last known working configuration.
Common Mistakes
- Using Flexible SSL with HTTPS redirect on origin.
- Mixing plugin redirects and Nginx redirects.
- Changing www and HTTPS at the same time.
- Forgetting to clear cache.
- Not checking WordPress Site Address.
Related Commands
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx
curl -I http://example.com
curl -I https://example.com