Connection Monitor - Destination URL Redirect

Kristofen 20

Hello,

We have various tests configured in our connection monitor and one of the tests has recently been failing. We look for a status code of 200 in the reply however the destination web page has updated their end to now redirect from the original webpage to a new webpage automatically. As a result we're only receiving a 301 response code.

The test from the servers (windows & linux) directly shows this happening and works, however I can't find an option to enable redirect on the connection monitor test or on the agent.

Is there a way to enable redirects on Azure connection monitor?

I'm not sure if I've missed something obvious but any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Kristofen 20 Reputation points

2025-01-15T19:59:24.4466667+00:00

Hi Sai,

Thank you for the response.

So if I understood correctly there's no option to follow redirects for Connection Monitor and if I want to create a more feature rich test (following redirects for example) I'll need to configure an application insight test?

The destination web page is essentially on the intranet which I don't think would be doable without a custom script as per:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/app/availability?tabs=standard#can-i-run-availability-tests-on-an-intranet-server

In short Connection Monitor tests at this stage does not allow for redirects?

Best Regards,

Chris
Sai Prasanna Sinde 3,500 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2025-01-15T23:59:48.4566667+00:00
Hi @Kristofen

The connection monitor in its current form, does not have a built-in option to automatically follow redirects. It will report the status code it receives from the initial URL you configure, which in your case is 301.

You are right that Connection Monitor lacks a follow redirects feature. It's designed for simpler reachability and performance checks, not for complex web application monitoring scenarios like handling redirects.

You are also correct that standard Application Insights URL ping tests are primarily for publicly accessible endpoints.

Testing an intranet site requires a workaround, like using the track availability option as described in the documentation you linked. This method is not as straightforward and might not give you the same level of detail as it would for a public site.

Using the track availability option to test an intranet web page may not be easy and involves setting up custom scripts. However, if you want to test the intranet webpage it is currently the best option.

Kindly let us know if the above helps or you need further assistance on this issue.

Thanks,

Sai.
Kristofen 20 Reputation points

2025-01-16T07:32:29.8933333+00:00

Hi Sai,

Thank you for confirming my suspicions and providing alternatives.

We'll investigate internally if we want to create a custom script.

I'm going to close the question.

Thanks again,

Chris
Kristofen 20 Reputation points

2025-01-16T07:35:46.9833333+00:00

Connection monitor does not support redirects and tests must be configured the final web page in the chain.

Alternatives exist using Application Insights to test redirect chains, however without custom scripts on source servers the main use case is for publicly available web pages. For my scenario it's not applicable without redesigning the tests.
Sai Prasanna Sinde 3,500 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2025-01-16T07:39:44.3433333+00:00

Hi @Kristofen,

Greetings!

Glad we could be of help.

Could you please close this thread by clicking "Accept Answer" on this post so that other community members facing the same issues can find the right answers.

If you have any further questions related to this issue, please add a comment below so that we can assist you.

Thanks,
Sai.

Accepted answer

Sai Prasanna Sinde 3,500 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2025-01-15T18:52:04.9966667+00:00
Hi @Kristofen

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A Platform! Thank you for asking your question here.

Please try to update your Connection Monitor test to directly target the final URL after the redirect.

It will give you accurate reflection of the user experience and eliminates the 301 failures. For your reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/connection-monitor-overview

If you need more in-depth monitoring of the redirect behaviour itself, consider using Azure Application Insights alongside Connection Monitor.

Application Insights can track the full redirect chain and provide detailed insights into the performance and status of each step.

The advantages for using application insights are like full visibility into redirect chains, granular performance data, better for troubleshooting redirect-related issues. For your reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/app/availability?tabs=standard

Kindly let us know if the above helps or you need further assistance on this issue.

If you feel that your queries have been resolved, please accept the answer by clicking the "Accept Answer" on the post.

Regards,
Sai.
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Sai Prasanna Sinde 3,500 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2025-01-17T17:53:48.1533333+00:00

Hi @Kristofen,

Greetings!

Could you please close this thread by clicking "Accept Answer" on this post so that other community members facing the same issues can find the right answers.

If you have any further questions related to this issue, please add a comment below so that we can assist you.

Thanks,
Sai.
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