Netlify Proxy: Put Your Blog at /blog With Minimal Changes

Netlify’s redirect rules can proxy your existing blog into /blog so you keep your CMS and gain SEO from the main host. Here’s how.

Table of Contents

• When to use Netlify for /blog
• Redirects/proxy pattern
• Caching and headers
• SEO and redirects
• Testing and rollback
• Observability and limits
• Advanced FAQ
• Why choose BlogPath.io
• Related posts

When to use Netlify for /blog

• Your main site is already on Netlify.
• You want a quick config in _redirects or netlify.toml.
• You can manage headers and cache rules per path.

Redirects/proxy pattern

• _redirects example:

/blog/*  https://blog.origin.example.com/:splat  200

• netlify.toml example:

[[redirects]]
  from = "/blog/*"
  to = "https://blog.origin.example.com/:splat"
  status = 200
  force = true

• Preserve query strings; forward real IP headers.

Caching and headers

• Long TTL for static assets; short TTL for HTML.
• Bypass cache on auth cookies; enable Brotli/Gzip.
• Lock down origin so it’s only reachable from Netlify/edge.

SEO and redirects

• 301 any legacy subdomain to /blog/*.
• Set canonicals to /blog; update sitemap and RSS feed URLs.
• Avoid redirect chains; check mixed content.

Testing and rollback

• Use deploy previews; run a crawl for 200/301/404 parity.
• Keep DNS TTL low; rollback by removing the redirect rule.
• Monitor 404/500s and Core Web Vitals after launch.

Observability and limits

• Use Netlify Analytics or server logs to watch 4xx/5xx, cache status, and latency.
• Monitor bandwidth/edge function limits if you add middleware.
• Validate LCP/INP after cutover; image-heavy posts may need extra optimization.

Advanced FAQ

Can I add custom headers?

Yes—use _headers or netlify.toml to set cache-control, security headers, and HSTS.

How to secure the origin?

Restrict to Netlify IP ranges or require tokens. Avoid exposing the origin directly.

How to purge cache?

Trigger a new deploy or use cache tags if available; version static assets to avoid broad purges.

Should I cache HTML?

Cache anonymous HTML briefly; bypass on auth cookies. Keep admin/login uncached.

Why choose BlogPath.io

• Global CDN caching + WAF without maintaining proxy rules.
• No-code setup (DNS-only), faster cutover and rollback.
• Built-in observability, uptime guarantees, and blog-specific performance tuning.

Related posts

• Host WordPress in a Subdirectory Without a Painful Migration
• Subdirectory vs Subdomain for Blogs: SEO Data You Need
• The SEO Impact of Moving Your Blog to a Subdirectory