why does the browser change url I enter from http:// to https://
I need to bring up a url with http and not https. However, FireFox keeps changing the url from thing I need (http://) to the thing I do not need (https://).
To try stopping this action I verified the browser has absolutely nothing stored in cache or browser data.
Safe mode in FireFox made no difference.
I also turned off the Apache software on the server hosting the site. When that did not alleviate the problem, I disconnected my computer from the internet. FireFox continues to change the url, adding the s in https.
Modified by Carla Rogers
Chosen solution
Thank you for responding.
I am certain the server was not redirecting the browser when the webserver was shutdown. That is the reason the page was not loading. It loaded when the web server was on, but it the url kept switching to https .
The reason I needed the http access without the https was to troubleshoot a problem I was having authenticating the domain as part of installing an ssl certificate. The authentication process has to be able to query the site to find a code the installation program puts onto the server. The installation program then calls to the certificate provider and the certificate provider has to be able to find the file using http, not https. I had something setup wrong and the troubleshooting was made difficult by this https thing
I cannot recreate the exact situation right now, but is a portion of the apache configuration for that domain from a copy of the made the same day as the question posted here (January 16, 2020).
<Directory /var/www/www.route66mc.com/htdocs > Order Deny,Allow Allow from All RewriteEngine On
- RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
- RewriteRule ^/?(.*) https://%{SERVER_NAME}/$1 [R=301,L]
</Directory>
The lines that rewrite the url from http: to https ( which has the effect of producing the 301 notice) are commented out, so I suspect I was wondering why I could not bring up http with the rewrites turned off.
Currently, the rewrite is in effect, so that is why you are seeing the redirect. I don't remember seeing an server-side redirects when this problem was in my face. I am sure I did testing to prove the change from http to https was happening in the browser and not the server before posting the question. My first thought was the problem was happening at the server, that is why I yanked the network cable from my computer and shut down wifi for the test.
p.s. It just dawned on me, there might have been browser data for http://route66mc.com or http://www.route66mc.com that I did not delete or see. I only just today figured out that sort of thing is the reason website login information seemed to be missing from my phone. I thought it was a problem with syncing, but it turned out to be the login data associated with www.example.com is not used for example.com and visa versa. I bet that it was something like that causing the browser to switch, as in the browser cache for http://route66mc.com was remembering the redirect to https://www.route66mc. and I looked for browser cache only in https://route66mc
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You can check this file in the profile folder for references about this domain.
- SiteSecurityServiceState.txt
You can use the button on the "Help -> Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page to go to the current Firefox profile folder or use the about:profiles page.
- Help -> Troubleshooting Information -> Profile Folder/Directory:
Windows: Show Folder; Linux: Open Directory; Mac: Show in Finder - https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/Profiles
I am having this problem as well. I want to go to the http:// version of a page that I have. In the past, I would simply clear the Site Preferences under Clear History and it would allow me to go to the http:// version of my page rather than the https://. Within the last month, this no longer works. Please advise. I tried looking at the SiteSecurityServiceState.txt file, but my domain was not listed there.
jlevitas16 said
I am having this problem as well. I want to go to the http:// version of a page that I have. In the past, I would simply clear the Site Preferences under Clear History and it would allow me to go to the http:// version of my page rather than the https://. Within the last month, this no longer works. Please advise. I tried looking at the SiteSecurityServiceState.txt file, but my domain was not listed there.
Thank you for proving the problem is not me.
Hi firefox195, if I try the URL you seem to be referring to in the original screenshot --
-- the server immediately sends a
301 Moved Permanently
response code with
Location: https://route66mc.com/
as the new URL Firefox should load instead.
So the http => https redirect is coming from the web server. I would expect the same behavior in all browsers. Is that not your experience?
Chosen Solution
Thank you for responding.
I am certain the server was not redirecting the browser when the webserver was shutdown. That is the reason the page was not loading. It loaded when the web server was on, but it the url kept switching to https .
The reason I needed the http access without the https was to troubleshoot a problem I was having authenticating the domain as part of installing an ssl certificate. The authentication process has to be able to query the site to find a code the installation program puts onto the server. The installation program then calls to the certificate provider and the certificate provider has to be able to find the file using http, not https. I had something setup wrong and the troubleshooting was made difficult by this https thing
I cannot recreate the exact situation right now, but is a portion of the apache configuration for that domain from a copy of the made the same day as the question posted here (January 16, 2020).
<Directory /var/www/www.route66mc.com/htdocs > Order Deny,Allow Allow from All RewriteEngine On
- RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
- RewriteRule ^/?(.*) https://%{SERVER_NAME}/$1 [R=301,L]
</Directory>
The lines that rewrite the url from http: to https ( which has the effect of producing the 301 notice) are commented out, so I suspect I was wondering why I could not bring up http with the rewrites turned off.
Currently, the rewrite is in effect, so that is why you are seeing the redirect. I don't remember seeing an server-side redirects when this problem was in my face. I am sure I did testing to prove the change from http to https was happening in the browser and not the server before posting the question. My first thought was the problem was happening at the server, that is why I yanked the network cable from my computer and shut down wifi for the test.
p.s. It just dawned on me, there might have been browser data for http://route66mc.com or http://www.route66mc.com that I did not delete or see. I only just today figured out that sort of thing is the reason website login information seemed to be missing from my phone. I thought it was a problem with syncing, but it turned out to be the login data associated with www.example.com is not used for example.com and visa versa. I bet that it was something like that causing the browser to switch, as in the browser cache for http://route66mc.com was remembering the redirect to https://www.route66mc. and I looked for browser cache only in https://route66mc
Modified by Carla Rogers