Definition

Redirect chain

A redirect chain is the sequence of hops a click passes through between the published URL and the final page — shortener → vanity redirect → network hop → merchant, in the fullest case. Each hop can independently fail, and diagnosing a link means walking the whole chain.

Chains use HTTP redirects (301/302), meta-refresh tags, and JavaScript redirects — the last being why curl-style checkers misjudge networks like AvantLink that redirect client-side. A complete validator follows all three kinds and records the status and domain at every hop.