301 and 302 redirects in Rest API - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

What is the HTTP status code returned?

Consider this HTTP response header snippet from a REST API:

HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://example.com/new-location

What status code does this response return?

A 302

B 200

C 301

D 404

💡 Hint

Look at the first line of the HTTP response header.

The status code 301 means the resource has been moved permanently to a new URL.

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

What happens after a 302 redirect?

A client receives this HTTP response:

HTTP/1.1 302 Found
Location: https://example.com/temporary

What does the client do next?

A It permanently updates the URL and caches it.

B It ignores the Location header and stays on the original URL.

C It returns an error to the user.

D It follows the new URL temporarily without caching the redirect.

💡 Hint

Think about the difference between temporary and permanent redirects.

A 302 redirect tells the client to temporarily use the new URL but not to update bookmarks or cache the redirect.

🧠 Conceptual

advanced

Why choose 301 over 302 for SEO?

Which reason best explains why a website owner should use a 301 redirect instead of a 302 redirect when moving a page permanently?

A Because 301 redirects preserve search engine rankings by transferring link equity.

B Because 301 redirects are faster to process by browsers.

C Because 302 redirects cause the page to load twice.

D Because 302 redirects are only for images and media files.

💡 Hint

Think about how search engines treat permanent vs temporary redirects.

301 redirects tell search engines the page moved permanently and transfer ranking power to the new URL.

❓ Predict Output

advanced

What is the output of this redirect handling code?

Given this Python Flask code snippet handling redirects:

from flask import Flask, redirect
app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/old')
def old():
    return redirect('https://example.com/new', code=302)

with app.test_client() as client:
    response = client.get('/old')
    print(response.status_code, response.headers.get('Location'))

What is printed?

Rest API

from flask import Flask, redirect
app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/old')
def old():
    return redirect('https://example.com/new', code=302)

with app.test_client() as client:
    response = client.get('/old')
    print(response.status_code, response.headers.get('Location'))

A 404 /old

B 302 https://example.com/new

C 301 https://example.com/new

D 200 None

💡 Hint

Check the redirect code argument in the redirect function.

The redirect function is called with code=302, so the response status is 302 with the Location header set.

🔧 Debug

expert

Why does this redirect cause a loop?

Consider this pseudo-code for a REST API endpoint:

if request.path == '/start':
    return redirect('/middle', code=302)
elif request.path == '/middle':
    return redirect('/start', code=302)

What is the main reason this code causes an infinite redirect loop?

Rest API

if request.path == '/start':
    return redirect('/middle', code=302)
elif request.path == '/middle':
    return redirect('/start', code=302)

A Because '/start' redirects to '/middle' and '/middle' redirects back to '/start', causing endless redirects.

B Because 302 redirects are not supported for these paths.

C Because the redirect function is missing a status code.

D Because the server does not handle GET requests properly.

💡 Hint

Trace the redirects step-by-step.

The two endpoints redirect to each other, causing the client to bounce back and forth endlessly.