How do I add a redirect or an nginx rule on Faaaster?

To redirect an address or add your own nginx rules, write them in a conf/server.user.conf file, then click Restart PHP / Nginx in the Actions menu. Faaaster tests the configuration before applying it: an invalid rule is never put into service.

Prerequisite — the File Editor (Access tab) or SFTP access. The conf folder is at the root, next to the www folder.

Redirecting an address

1. Open the site, Access tab, File Editor section, then the conf folder.
2. Create the server.user.conf file if it doesn't exist.
3. Add your redirects:

# One page to another
location = /old-page/ { return 301 /new-page/; }

# A whole section
rewrite ^/blog/(.*)$ /news/$1 permanent;

# One page to another site
location = /shop/ { return 301 https://shop.example.com/; }

4. In the Actions menu, click Restart PHP / Nginx.

A redirect to a path (/new-page/) stays on the domain the visitor requested. To send visitors to another domain, write the full address with https://.

nginx rule files

The conf folder accepts two families of rule files. The name is up to you between the prefix and .conf:

These files follow nginx syntax: they're intended for people who know it. To exclude a page from the cache, use conf/cache.user.conf instead (see the dedicated article).

If the restart is refused

Restart PHP / Nginx first tests the whole configuration. If there's an error, the restart is cancelled and your site keeps running with the old configuration. The interface then shows "Invalid nginx configuration — restart aborted. Fix the configuration:", followed by the error details returned by nginx. The message stays on screen until you close it: fix the faulty file, starting with the last one you edited. Two location blocks for the same address, for example, are refused.

⚠️ Fix or delete the file right away. If left in place, it would prevent the site from responding after a Restart server.

Good to know

• Copy a file's contents before editing it, so you can roll back.
• The AI assistant can tell you the exact rule to write for your case.

👉 How do I exclude a page from the cache? · How do I restart my site? · How do I edit my site's files?

Updated on: 10/03/2026