Tutorial: How to Redirect HTTP to HTTPS⁠

For our example setup, we install Python on the system, run a simple HTTP server listening on port 80 (the default HTTP port), give instructions pointing to the correct address whenever anyone requests anything on that port, and finally, set the new script to run at startup by modifying the crontab file.

This example assumes you're using Ubuntu (the platform we use for our appliances) and signed in as a root user.

1. Sign in to your console and get root privileges and install Python:

   apt update
   apt -y install python3 screen
   nano /usr/local/openvpn_as/port80redirect.py

   • Python installs, and you create a new file to write a Python script.

2. After the text editor (nano) opens, copy and paste the script below and adjust the redirect target:

   import http.server
   import socketserver
   class myHandler(http.server.SimpleHTTPRequestHandler):
     def do_GET(self):
       print("Request received, sending redirect...")
       self.send_response(301)
       self.send_header('Location', 'https://vpn.yourdomain.com')
       self.end_headers()
   PORT = 80
   handler = socketserver.TCPServer(("", PORT), myHandler)
   print("serving at port 80")
   handler.serve_forever()

   1. 1

      Modify this domain to redirect to your domain, not the example domain we use.

3. Save and exit the file (Ctrl+x, y, and Enter).

1. Open crontab for the current user:

   crontab -e

2. If this is the first time you’ve used this program, choose which editor to use (any is fine, but we assume you use nano for our example).

3. At the bottom of the crontab file, add this line:

   @reboot /usr/bin/screen -dmS port80redirect /usr/bin/python /usr/local/openvpn_as/port80redirect.py

4. Save and exit the file (Ctrl+x, y, and Enter).

   • Now, when you reboot the system, screen automatically starts and runs the Python script port80redirect.py. Screen is a program that runs apps in the background continuously without needing to sign in as a user.