Both 301 and 302 are HTTP redirect status codes, but they differ in meaning and use case.

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🔹 301 Moved Permanently

• Meaning: The resource has been permanently moved to a new URL.

• Effect on browsers & SEO:

  • Browsers (and clients) cache the redirect.
  • Search engines update their index to the new URL.
  • Any “link juice” (SEO ranking) is passed to the new URL.

• Use case:

  • When a page/endpoint is permanently moved.

  • Example:

    GET /old-page
    → 301 Moved Permanently → Location: /new-page
    

    Now future requests will directly go to /new-page.

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🔹 302 Found (Temporary Redirect)

• Meaning: The resource has been temporarily moved to a different URL.

• Effect on browsers & SEO:

  • Browsers do not cache permanently.
  • Search engines do not update their index (they keep old URL).
  • Link authority usually stays with the old URL.

• Use case:

  • When you want to redirect temporarily, but keep the original URL as the main one.

  • Example: A product page /product/123 is temporarily out of stock →

    GET /product/123
    → 302 Found → Location: /unavailable
    

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⚖️ Key Difference

• 301: Permanent → use when the resource has moved forever.
• 302: Temporary → use when the move is just for a short time.

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👉 Bonus: There are also 307 Temporary Redirect and 308 Permanent Redirect which are stricter versions of 302/301 (they preserve the HTTP method, e.g., POST stays POST).

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