In the world of web programming, when a server receives a request, it basically responds under the title "HTTP Status Code." One of these codes is the 308 Permanent Redirect. This code indicates that the requested resource has been permanently moved to a new URI. In other words, the server is telling that the requested resource is in a new location and that this should be used from now on.
The 308 record is similar to 301, but the main difference between them is that 308 maintains the method used in the HTTP request. For example, if the original request was sent as POST, in 308 the server can forward the request with the same method (POST) to the new URL, while in 301, it is usually converted to a GET.
One of the common use cases of the 308 Permanent Redirect code is in situations where you want to ensure all traffic is directed to the new URL without losing data from form submissions. This capability is important in situations such as changing the URL of pages that contain forms, where maintaining data integrity is crucial.
To implement this change on a server, you can configure your server settings accordingly and adjust the path for the link in the desired direction. Here’s an example code for implementing this on Apache HTTP Server:
Redirect 308 /old-page https://www.example.com/new-page
Description of the code:
Redirect 308: This line is used for performing the path change with the 308 status code.
/old-page: The old or previous path that you want to change.
https://www.example.com/new-page: The new address to which all requests should be redirected.
Note that when using this code, both the destination and your own resources should be correctly linked to ensure that the path change is properly executed. This approach is perceived by browsers and bots that the new path has continuously replaced the old one.