Why is /public added during redirect?

Problem with Adding “/public” During Slash Redirect

The issue with adding “/public” during slash redirects occurs due to a conflict between two .htaccess files in your Laravel structure. This is a classic recursive URL rewriting problem in Apache.

Table of Contents

• Main Problem Cause
• How to Fix It
• Alternative Solutions
• Testing and Verification
• Conclusion

Main Problem Cause

A URL rewriting chain occurs that leads to adding “public”:

1. First redirect: When requesting https://site.ru/subdirectory/categories/category1/
2. Rewriting in the first .htaccess: RewriteRule ^(.*)$ public/$1 [L] converts the request to internal https://site.ru/subdirectory/public/categories/category1/
3. Processing the second .htaccess: The system processes this path through public/.htaccess
4. Slash redirect: The RewriteRule ^ %1 [L,R=301] rule sees the slash and attempts to redirect to https://site.ru/subdirectory/public/categories/category1
5. Rule reapplication: This new request again passes through the first .htaccess, which adds “public” again

Key problem: The redirect in public/.htaccess creates a new request that is again processed by both .htaccess files, creating a loop and adding “public” to the URL.

How to Fix It

There are several ways to fix this problem:

Option 1: Modify the redirect rule in public/.htaccess

Replace the current slash redirect rule with:

# Redirect Trailing Slashes If Not A Folder...
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} (.+)/$
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^public/ [NC]
RewriteRule ^ %1 [L,R=301]

What this does: Adds the condition RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^public/ [NC] which prevents the redirect from being applied if the URL already contains “public/”.

Option 2: Use the NS (No Subrequest) flag

Add the NS flag to the redirect rule:

# Redirect Trailing Slashes If Not A Folder...
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} (.+)/$
RewriteRule ^ %1 [L,R=301,NS]

What this does: The NS flag prevents the rule from being applied to internal subrequests that are created by the rewriting rule in the parent .htaccess.

Option 3: Remove the slash redirect from public/.htaccess

If the slash redirect isn’t critical, you can simply remove it from public/.htaccess:

# Comment out or remove these lines:
# RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
# RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} (.+)/$
# RewriteRule ^ %1 [L,R=301]

Alternative Solutions

Option 4: Modify the rule structure in the root .htaccess

Modify the main .htaccess so it doesn’t rewrite already rewritten requests:

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    RewriteEngine On
    
    # Redirect www to non-www
    RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.(.+)$ [NC]
    RewriteRule ^ https://%1%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
    
    # Exclude already rewritten requests
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^public/
    RewriteRule ^(.*)$ public/$1 [L]
</IfModule>

Option 5: Use the CO (Cookie) flag to prevent loops

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    RewriteEngine On
    
    RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.(.+)$ [NC]
    RewriteRule ^ https://%1%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
    
    # Set cookie to prevent loops
    RewriteCond %{HTTP_COOKIE} !^.*laravel_skip_redirect.*$
    RewriteRule ^(.*)$ public/$1 [L]
</IfModule>

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    <IfModule mod_negotiation.c>
        Options -MultiViews -Indexes
    </IfModule>

    RewriteEngine On
    
    # Add cookie for internal requests
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^public/
    RewriteRule .* - [CO=laravel_skip_redirect:1:.site.ru]
    
    # ... other rules ...
    
    # Redirect Trailing Slashes
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} (.+)/$
    RewriteRule ^ %1 [L,R=301]
</IfModule>

Testing and Verification

After making changes:

1. Clear your browser cache and PHP cache (OpCache, APC, etc.)
2. Check Apache logs to track requests
3. Use browser developer tools to analyze redirects
4. Test both scenarios:
   • https://site.ru/subdirectory/categories/category1/ (should redirect to without slash)
   • https://site.ru/subdirectory/categories/category1 (should work without redirect)

Conclusion

The problem of adding “/public” during slash redirects occurs due to conflicts between rewriting rules in two .htaccess files. I recommend using Option 1 as the simplest and most elegant solution - add an exclusion condition for paths already containing “public/”.

Key points:

• Always check Apache logs when working with mod_rewrite
• Avoid recursive URL rewriting
• Use flags (L, NS, CO) to control rule behavior
• Test all scenarios after making changes

If the problem persists, you might consider alternative configuration options or consulting with an Apache system administrator.