forward http to https iis

Y’all ever typed http://yourbusinesssite.com into your browser, hit Enter, and then—*poof*—your screen just spins like it’s buffering the meaning of life? Or worse, you get that soul-crushing “This page isn’t working. example.com redirected you too many times” error? If you’re running your site on Windows Server with IIS (Internet Information Services), chances are you’ve tangled yourself in a classic forward http to https iis snafu. And hey, don’t feel bad—we’ve all been there. It’s like trying to parallel park a semi-truck: totally doable once you know the right moves, but a hot mess if you wing it. The good news? Fixing this ain’t rocket science. It’s just config jazz, and we’re about to drop the beat.

Let’s cut through the noise: in 2026, serving a site over plain HTTP is like mailing your password on a postcard—technically possible, but wildly irresponsible. Browsers slap big ol’ “Not Secure” warnings on HTTP pages, Google ranks HTTPS sites higher, and let’s be real—nobody trusts a login form without that little padlock. On IIS, which powers a ton of enterprise and legacy .NET apps, enforcing HTTPS isn’t just best practice—it’s table stakes. A proper forward http to https iis setup tells the world, “We take your data seriously,” while keeping SEO juice flowing and hackers at bay. Plus, it’s way easier than explaining to your boss why the company homepage looks sketchy on Chrome.

Here’s the tea: when someone hits your site via http://, IIS can be configured to respond with a **301 Permanent Redirect** to the https:// version. This isn’t magic—it’s a rule in your web.config or a setting in IIS Manager that says, “Any request coming in on port 80? Send ‘em to port 443, pronto.” The browser gets the redirect, updates the address bar, and reloads securely. Search engines love this because 301s pass link equity. Users stay safe. Everyone wins. But—and this is a big but—if you set up the rule wrong (or stack multiple rules), you end up in redirect purgatory. That’s why nailing your forward http to https iis flow from the jump saves hours of hair-pulling later.

Hold up—can you forward HTTP to HTTPS without an SSL certificate? Short answer: **nope**. It’s like building a drawbridge with no moat. Before you even touch redirect rules, make sure your IIS site has a valid SSL cert bound to port 443. You can use a free one from Let’s Encrypt (via tools like Win-ACME) or buy one from DigiCert, Sectigo, etc. Once installed, verify it by visiting https://yoursite.com directly. If you see a padlock and no warnings, you’re golden. If not, fix that first. No amount of clever forward http to https iis config will save you if the destination is broken. Trust us—we’ve seen folks try. It ends in tears and coffee.

Microsoft’s **URL Rewrite Module** is the cleanest, most flexible way to handle redirects in IIS. If you don’t have it installed, grab it from the official Microsoft site (it’s free). Once installed, open IIS Manager, select your site, and click “URL Rewrite.” Then add a new blank rule with these settings:

• Pattern:(.*)
• Conditions: Add {HTTPS} → matches pattern → ^OFF$
• Action: Redirect → https://{HTTP_HOST}/{R:1} → Status code: 301

This rule checks if the request is insecure (HTTPS=OFF), then redirects to the same path on HTTPS. Elegant, portable, and perfect for multi-site servers. And yep—this is the gold standard for any forward http to https iis implementation that doesn’t involve duct tape and prayer.

Prefer editing files over GUIs? We see you. Just drop this snippet into your site’s web.config under the <system.webServer> section:

<rewrite>
  <rules>
    <rule name="HTTP to HTTPS redirect" stopProcessing="true">
      <match url="(.*)" />
      <conditions>
        <add input="{HTTPS}" pattern="off" ignoreCase="true" />
      </conditions>
      <action type="Redirect" url="https://{HTTP_HOST}/{R:1}" 
              redirectType="Permanent" />
    </rule>
  </rules>
</rewrite>

This does the exact same thing as the GUI method—but lives in code, so it’s version-controllable and deployable. Just make sure the URL Rewrite module is installed, or IIS will throw a 500 error. Pro tip: test on a staging box first. One typo in web.config and your whole app goes dark. But when it works? Chef’s kiss. This is how you nail forward http to https iis like a seasoned devops wizard.

We’ve debugged enough IIS redirect loops to write a novel, so let’s save you the pain. Here are the usual suspects:

Also, if you’re behind a load balancer or Cloudflare, you’ll need to check headers like X-Forwarded-Proto instead of {HTTPS}. But for most standalone IIS setups, the standard rule works like a charm. Avoid these traps, and your forward http to https iis journey stays smooth as butter.

Don’t just assume it works—prove it. Open PowerShell or Command Prompt and run:

curl -I http://yoursite.com

You should see:

HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://yoursite.com/

Then test the HTTPS version:

curl -I https://yoursite.com

Should return 200 OK. Also, pop open Chrome DevTools → Network tab, disable cache, and reload the HTTP URL—you should see exactly one 301, then a 200. No loops, no errors. If it’s clean, go ahead and submit your updated sitemap to Google Search Console. A solid forward http to https iis setup means zero HTTP pages indexed and full SEO credit. Easy peasy.

Want to go nuclear? You can **disable the HTTP binding entirely** in IIS after confirming your redirect works. Right-click your site → Edit Bindings → remove the entry for port 80. Now, only HTTPS works. This is overkill for public sites (since users still type http:// by habit), but great for internal APIs or admin panels where you control the client. Just remember: if you kill port 80, there’s no redirect—just a connection refused error. So only do this if you’re sure all traffic comes in via HTTPS. For most folks, a graceful forward http to https iis redirect is the smarter play.

Look, configuring a forward http to https iis redirect might feel like assembling IKEA furniture in the dark—but it’s simpler than it sounds. Install the URL Rewrite module, add one clean rule, test like your job depends on it, and sleep easy knowing your users are safe. And if you’re knee-deep in web.config files and need a lifeline, our deep-dive guide on HTTPS Redirect IIS Configuration walks through advanced scenarios like load balancers and sub-apps. Need more hosting wisdom? Swing by our Hosting section. And don’t forget to bookmark the Peternak Digital homepage—we’re always cookin’ up guides to keep your Windows servers lean, mean, and locked down tight.

References

• https://www.iis.net/downloads/microsoft/url-rewrite
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/iis/extensions/url-rewrite-module/creating-rewrite-rules-for-the-url-rewrite-module
• https://www.sslshopper.com/article-how-to-force-https-in-iis.html
• https://win-acme.com/