Redirects with redirect function in Django - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Redirects with redirect function

User sends HTTP request

↓

View function starts

↓

Call redirect() with URL or view name

↓

redirect() creates HttpResponseRedirect

↓

Return redirect response to browser

↓

Browser receives redirect status

↓

Browser requests new URL

↓

New view processes request

This flow shows how a Django view uses redirect() to send a browser to a new URL by returning a special response that tells the browser to load another page.

Execution Sample

Django

from django.shortcuts import redirect

def my_view(request):
    return redirect('/home/')

This code sends the user to the '/home/' URL by returning a redirect response.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Input/State	Output/Result
1	User sends request to my_view	Request to /start/	Request received by my_view
2	my_view calls redirect('/home/')	URL '/home/'	HttpResponseRedirect object created with status 302 and Location '/home/'
3	my_view returns redirect response	HttpResponseRedirect object	Response sent to browser with status 302
4	Browser receives 302 response	Status 302, Location '/home/'	Browser prepares new request to '/home/'
5	Browser sends new request	Request to '/home/'	New request handled by Django view for '/home/'

💡 Redirect response sent, browser follows Location header to new URL

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After redirect call	After return
request	HttpRequest to /start/	HttpRequest to /start/	HttpRequest to /start/
response	None	HttpResponseRedirect(status=302, Location='/home/')	HttpResponseRedirect(status=302, Location='/home/')

Key Moments - 2 Insights

Why does the browser make a new request after redirect?

Because the redirect() returns a response with status 302 and a Location header. The browser sees this and automatically requests the new URL, as shown in execution_table step 4 and 5.

Is redirect() sending the user directly to the new page?

No, redirect() returns a special response telling the browser to go to a new URL. The browser then makes a new request. This is shown in steps 3 (response sent) and 4 (browser receives redirect).

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, what HTTP status code does redirect() set in the response?

A 200 OK

B 404 Not Found

C 302 Found

D 500 Internal Server Error

💡 Hint

Check step 2 in the execution_table where HttpResponseRedirect is created

At which step does the browser decide to request the new URL?

A Step 4

B Step 3

C Step 1

D Step 5

💡 Hint

Look at the execution_table step where browser receives the 302 response

If redirect() was called with a view name instead of a URL, what would change in the execution?

A The response status code would change to 404

B The redirect response would have a different Location URL

C The browser would not follow the redirect

D The request object would change

💡 Hint

redirect() always returns a 302 response but the Location header depends on the argument

Concept Snapshot

redirect() in Django returns an HttpResponseRedirect
It sends a 302 status with a Location header
Browser receives this and requests the new URL
Use redirect() to send users to another page easily
Can pass URL string or view name to redirect()

Full Transcript

In Django, the redirect function helps send users to a different page. When a user sends a request, the view can call redirect() with a URL or view name. This creates a special response with status 302 and a Location header telling the browser where to go next. The browser then makes a new request to that URL. This process involves the view returning the redirect response, the browser receiving it, and then requesting the new page. This is a common way to move users after actions like login or form submission.