DNS URLFWD Records Explained
URLFWD (URL Forward) records are a vendor-specific DNS record type that enables URL forwarding at the DNS level. They allow domain owners to redirect web traffic from one URL to another without needing a separate web server to handle the redirect.
What is a URLFWD record?
A URLFWD record specifies a destination URL and an optional redirect type. When a user visits the domain or subdomain where the URLFWD record is configured, their browser is redirected to the specified destination URL. This provides a simple way to set up domain forwarding without managing a web server.
URLFWD records are not defined by an RFC standard — they are a proprietary record type offered by certain DNS providers. They are similar in concept to HTTPRED records but may be implemented differently depending on the provider.
How do URLFWD records work?
When configured, the DNS provider handles the URL forwarding by responding to HTTP requests with a redirect response. The redirect type field controls whether a permanent (301) or temporary (302) redirect is used, which affects how search engines and browsers cache the redirect.
A 301 (permanent) redirect tells browsers and search engines that the original URL has permanently moved to the new location. This is useful for domain consolidation or permanent moves. A 302 (temporary) redirect indicates the move is temporary, preserving the original URL's search engine ranking.
URLFWD records are commonly used for vanity URLs, marketing campaigns, legacy domain redirects, and cases where you want to forward a domain without setting up a web server or reverse proxy.
Example
Here's what a URLFWD record configuration looks like for the domain example.com: