Redirector

Take control of your browsing with custom URL redirects
A powerful, privacy-focused Chrome extension that redirects URLs based on regex patterns you define.

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Features

• Custom Regex Rules - Match URLs with powerful regular expressions
• Intuitive Interface - Modern popup UI for easy rule management
• Privacy First - All data stored locally, nothing sent to external servers
• Real-time Redirects - Instant redirects with SPA navigation support
• Sync Across Devices - Rules sync with your Chrome account
• Toggle Controls - Enable/disable rules without deleting them
• Rule Validation - Built-in regex and URL validation

Quick Start

Installation

From Source (Development)

1. Download or clone this repository
2. Open Chrome and navigate to chrome://extensions/
3. Enable Developer mode (toggle in top right)
4. Click Load unpacked and select the extension folder
5. The extension icon will appear in your toolbar

From Chrome Web Store

Coming soon

First Setup

1. Click the extension icon in your toolbar
2. Add your first rule:
   • Name: Block Reddit Subreddits
   • Pattern: ^https?:\/\/(?:www\.)?reddit\.com\/r\/[^\/]+(?:\/(?:hot|new|rising|top|best|controversial))?(?:\/?\?t=(hour|day|week|month|year|all))?\/?$
   • Destination: https://www.reddit.com
3. Enable the rule and test it by visiting any subreddit

Usage Examples

Block Distracting Websites

YouTube Homepage → Subscriptions Feed

Pattern: ^https?://(?:www\.)?youtube\.com/?(?:\?.*)?$
Destination: https://www.youtube.com/feed/subscriptions

Twitter Timeline → Notifications

Pattern: ^https?://(?:www\.)?twitter\.com/home$
Destination: https://twitter.com/notifications

Reddit Subreddits → Homepage

Pattern: `^https?:\/\/(?:www\.)?reddit\.com\/r\/[^\/]+(?:\/(?:hot|new|rising|top|best|controversial))?(?:\/?\?t=(hour|day|week|month|year|all))?\/?$`
Destination: `https://www.reddit.com`

Clean Up Tracking Links

Remove UTM Parameters

Pattern: ^(https?://.*?)\?utm_.*$
Destination: $1

Development Workflows

Local Development Redirect

Pattern: ^https?://production\.example\.com/(.*)$
Destination: http://localhost:3000/$1

Interface Guide

Main Popup

• Add Rule Button - Create new redirect rules
• Rule Cards - View and manage existing rules
• Toggle Switches - Enable/disable rules instantly
• Delete Buttons - Remove unwanted rules

Rule Editor

• Rule Name - Descriptive name for easy identification
• URL Pattern - Regular expression to match URLs
• Redirect Destination - Where matching URLs should go
• Validation - Real-time validation of patterns and URLs

Advanced Configuration

Regex Pattern Tips

Basic Patterns:

• ^https?://example\.com$ - Exact domain match
• ^https?://.*\.example\.com - Any subdomain
• ^https?://example\.com/.* - Domain and any path

Special Characters to Escape:

• . → \. (literal dot)
• ? → \? (literal question mark)
• + → \+ (literal plus sign)

Groups and Alternatives:

• (?:www\.)? - Optional www subdomain
• (http|https) - Match either protocol
• [^/]+ - One or more non-slash characters

Testing Your Patterns

1. Use an online regex tester like regex101.com
2. Test with actual URLs you want to match
3. Enable developer console (F12) to see debug logs

Privacy & Security

Data Storage

• All rules stored locally using Chrome's storage.sync API
• Data syncs across your Chrome browsers when signed in
• No external servers - your data never leaves your devices

Permissions Explained

• storage - Save your custom redirect rules
• activeTab - Access the current tab's URL for redirects
• <all_urls> - Monitor any website for redirect patterns

Security Features

• Input validation prevents malicious regex patterns
• URL validation ensures safe redirect destinations
• No remote code execution or external dependencies

Development

Project Structure

smart-url-redirector/
├── manifest.json
├── content.js
├── popup.html
├── popup.js
├── assets/
│   └── icons/
└── README.md

Building from Source

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/r-shafi/redirector.git
   cd redirector

2. Install in Chrome

   • Open chrome://extensions/
   • Enable Developer mode
   • Click "Load unpacked" and select the project folder

3. Make changes

   • Edit source files
   • Reload extension in Chrome
   • Test your changes

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch

   git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

Please ensure your contributions maintain the extension's privacy-first approach and don't introduce unnecessary dependencies.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Rule not working:

• Check if the rule is enabled (green toggle)
• Verify your regex pattern with a testing tool
• Open browser console (F12) to see debug logs
• Ensure destination URL includes http:// or https://

Extension not loading:

• Make sure all required files are present
• Check Chrome's extension error console
• Try reloading the extension

Sync issues:

• Ensure you're signed into Chrome
• Check if storage quota is exceeded
• Try disabling and re-enabling sync

Debug Mode

Enable detailed logging by opening the browser console (F12) on any page. You'll see:

• URLs being checked for matches
• Which rules are being tested
• Match results and redirect decisions

Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions
• Email: rayhanshafi7@gmail.com