Redirects are included on every Dynamic DNS plan, including Free, and are unlimited. Stealth forwards need Pro or Elite and use flags — 10 on Pro, 50 on Elite.
1. What This Feature Does
Web forwarding sends visitors of one of your Dynamic DNS hostnames to another web address. Two kinds:
- Standard Redirect — the browser is sent to the target address, which then shows in the address bar.
- Stealth Forward — your hostname stays in the address bar and the target page is shown inside it, with a page title and description you choose.
2. When You Should Use It
- A short, memorable name for a long address — a profile, a booking page, a shared folder.
- An old name that should keep working after a site moves.
- Showing a page under your own name, where the target site allows being shown inside another page.
3. When You Should Not Use It
- The hostname points at your own server. Forwarding replaces that: while it is on, the hostname points at CertaDNS's web servers, not your address.
- The hostname is IPv6 (AAAA). Forwarding works on IPv4 (A) hostnames only, and AAAA hostnames are not offered.
- You need the visitor's path carried over. Every visit goes to the one target address, whatever path was requested.
4. Prerequisites
- Any Dynamic DNS plan for redirects; Pro or Elite for stealth forwards.
- A hostname in Dynamic DNS on your own account that has no forward yet. Accounts managed by an organization cannot create forwards.
- A target address that is reachable on the public internet.
5. How It Works (Brief)
- When you save a forward, the hostname's DNS record is switched to CertaDNS's web servers.
- A visitor's browser asks CertaDNS for the page. For a redirect, it gets the redirect code you chose and the target address. For a stealth forward, it gets a page with your title and description that shows the target address in a full-window frame.
- When you delete the forward, the hostname points at its own address again (if it has one).
Many large sites refuse to be shown inside another page. A stealth forward to one of them is served as a temporary (302) redirect instead.
6. How to Use It
Everything below is in Web Forwarding, under Domain tools in the dashboard sidebar.
Add a forward
- Click Add Web Forward.
- Choose the Hostname. Only hostnames without a forward are listed.
- Enter the Target URL, for example
https://example.com/booking. - Choose the Forwarding Type:
- Standard Redirect, then the Redirect Type (301, 302, 307 or 308).
- Stealth Forward, then optionally a Page Title, Meta Description and Meta Keywords. It shows how many flags you have left.
- Click Create. The forward appears under Active Web Forwards.
Change a forward
Click Edit (pencil icon), change the target, type or page details, and click Update. The hostname cannot be changed; delete the forward and add a new one. Changing a redirect to stealth uses a flag; changing stealth to a redirect returns it.
Delete a forward
Click Delete (trash icon) and confirm with Delete forwarding. Visitors are no longer forwarded, and the hostname points at its own address again.
7. Inputs and Settings
| Field | Rules |
|---|---|
| Hostname | One of your Dynamic DNS hostnames. One forward per hostname. |
| Target URL | http:// or https://. Without either, https:// is added. The host name must exist in public DNS and must not point at a private, loopback or reserved address. |
| Redirect Type | 301 permanent, 302 temporary, 307 temporary and 308 permanent (these two tell the browser to keep the request method). Default 301. |
| Page Title, Meta Description, Meta Keywords | Stealth only, optional. The title defaults to your hostname. |
8. Outputs and Results
The page shows
- Total Forwards, Stealth Flags Used (used of your plan's total) and Available Flags.
- For each forward: the hostname and target, the type — Redirect (301) or the code you chose, or Stealth — Using Flag for a stealth forward, Active or Inactive, and the page title if set.
Visitors get
- Redirect — the redirect code you chose and the target address.
- Stealth — your hostname in the address bar, your page title, and the target page in a frame. Well-known sites that refuse to be framed (for example x.com, facebook.com, google.com) are sent a redirect instead. Another site that refuses framing shows the browser's own blocked-frame message; use a redirect for it.
9. How to Interpret Results
Normal
- Opening your hostname in a browser lands on the target address (redirect) or shows it under your hostname (stealth).
- A stealth forward to a large social, search or shopping site listed as Redirect (302) without Using Flag: it was saved as a redirect because that site refuses framing.
Worth investigating
- A blank or blocked frame on a stealth forward — the target refuses to be shown inside another page. Use a redirect instead.
Common mistakes
- Choosing 301 while testing. Browsers remember permanent redirects. Use 302 until the target is final.
- Expecting the path to carry over.
home.example.com/pagegoes to the target address, not to/pageon it.
10. Common Issues and Explanations
A router or script keeps updating the hostname
That is fine. While the forward is on, updates are stored but do not change where the hostname points; when you delete the forward, the hostname points at the most recent address.
"Cannot resolve hostname: …"
The target's host name does not exist in public DNS. Check the spelling.
"Target URL resolves to a private or reserved IP address"
The target points at a private, local or reserved address, which cannot be forwarded to.
"Domain already has web forwarding configured"
That hostname has a forward. Edit it instead.
"No stealth flags remaining"
Every flag on your plan is in use. Change a stealth forward to a redirect or delete one to free a flag, or move from Pro to Elite.
"… prevents framing. Using redirect instead."
The target is a site that refuses to be shown inside another page, so the forward was saved as a 302 redirect and no flag was used.
Add Web Forward is disabled
You have no hostnames yet, or every hostname already has a forward. The page says which.
11. Limits and Constraints
| Constraint | Free | Pro | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redirects | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Stealth forwards (flags) | — | 10 | 50 |
| Forwards per hostname | 1 | 1 | 1 |
- Each forward has one target address; the requested path is not passed on.
- A forward on a wildcard hostname (
*.home.example.com) answers for every name under it. - Accounts managed by an organization cannot create forwards.
12. Related Features
- Dynamic DNS — creating the hostname to forward.
- DDNS Update Protocols — how routers update a hostname.
13. Updates and Behavior Changes
- 30 September 2026. 307 and 308 redirects can be saved. The dashboard offered them before, but saving one failed. Earlier versions of this article described different validation rules.
- 1 October 2026. Router and dashboard updates no longer switch forwarding off: the address is stored and used again when the forward is deleted. Stealth forwards display (a faulty check hid every one after three seconds). Wildcard forwards answer for the names under them. AAAA hostnames cannot be forwarded. The Web Forwarding page opens on Free, for redirects; it used to be shown only on Pro and Elite, although redirects always worked on Free.