Use DirectAdmin HTTPS Redirects with Deliberate Proxy Trust

For DirectAdmin-hosted websites, prefer the installed domain-specific HTTPS control over copying old server-wide templates. Confirm a valid certificate and the actual Apache/Nginx/proxy design before enforcing redirects.

Use the supported domain setting

DirectAdmin documents Force SSL with https redirect under the domain’s setup/private_html options and its SSL Certificates screen, depending on skin and version. Select the exact domain, review the intended setting, save and verify the resulting public behavior. Do not apply a bulk or server-wide change when only one domain needs correction.

The source and target names need appropriate certificates. A redirect does not itself obtain a certificate, fix mixed content or protect information already sent over an initial plaintext connection.

Account for proxies explicitly

Behind a CDN or reverse proxy, the origin may see a different transport from the browser. A rule that looks only at the origin’s HTTPS state can loop. Conversely, trusting a client-supplied X-Forwarded-Proto value can let an untrusted caller influence enforcement.

Use an administrator-reviewed trusted-proxy/origin-access configuration and a suitable end-to-end TLS design. Do not weaken verification or globally trust forwarding headers to make a loop disappear. DirectAdmin’s generated behavior still needs review against the actual proxy topology; this page does not certify that topology.

For a path-only or custom-server requirement

.htaccess applies to supported Apache configurations, not native Nginx by itself. A whole-domain toggle may not match a path-only requirement. Use a supported scoped application/web-server rule, validate its fixed destination and test it against existing routes. The separate Apache HTTPS guide explains a narrowly bounded example and its limits.

The former article presented server-wide custom-template edits and a configuration rewrite as routine. Those changes affect other domains and depend on current templates, handlers and recovery procedures. Use the release’s documented customization process only after preserving a candidate/before-state and testing scope; do not paste old global templates into a production server.

Verify the actual redirect

Check status, Location, path/query preservation, HTTP/HTTPS, alternate hostnames, login and representative application routes. Test both through the intended proxy and an authorized origin path where appropriate. Confirm unaffected domains stay unchanged and retain rollback until validation is complete.

Reference: DirectAdmin supported HTTPS control and legacy-template context.

Reviewed October 16, 2026. No domain redirect, proxy trust, global template or customer server configuration was changed or tested.