How to Resolve the HTTP 301 Error in Cloudflare with Stripe Webhooks

Learn how to troubleshoot and fix the HTTP 301 error when using Stripe webhooks on a NodeJS server behind Cloudflare. Follow this comprehensive guide for an effective solution.
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Understanding the HTTP 301 Error with Stripe Webhooks

If you're running a NodeJS server on DigitalOcean that leverages Stripe for payment processing, you might encounter a frustrating problem when setting up webhooks. You may find that your Stripe dashboard consistently returns an HTTP 301 error for webhook requests. In this guide, we’ll walk through the issue, its implications, and the solution to getting your webhooks up and running smoothly.

The Problem

You have a scenario where:

Your NodeJS server is successfully set up to handle webhooks sent to the route /stripe-webhook.

Everything is functioning well in your local environment, where you test with the Stripe CLI.

Upon deploying to the DigitalOcean server, Stripe begins reporting a 301 status code for webhook notifications, indicating a permanent redirect.

This situation raises a few questions:

Why is Stripe reporting a redirect error?

How can you fix this issue while maintaining your desired URL structure?

The Root Cause of the Error

The crux of the problem lies in the discrepancy between the URL configured in Stripe and the URL your NGINX server is listening on. Here’s what happened:

Requested URL: Stripe was sending webhooks to https://example.com/stripe-webhook (without a trailing slash).

NGINX Configuration: Your NGINX server was set up to listen for requests at https://example.com/stripe-webhook/ (with a trailing slash).

Redirecting and Stripe’s Policy

When NGINX encountered the request without a trailing slash, it attempted to redirect the request to the correct URL (adding the trailing slash). However, it’s critical to note that Stripe has a strict zero redirects policy for webhook requests. This means that any redirection results in failure on their end, causing the 301 error to be issued.

Solution to the HTTP 301 Error

To resolve this issue effectively, follow these guidelines:

Adjusting the NGINX Configuration

Edit NGINX Configuration: Open your NGINX configuration file where you set up the server block to catch incoming requests.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Disable Trailing Slash Redirection: Modify the configuration to ensure that the request can be handled properly both with or without a trailing slash. You can do this by setting up a location block that matches both patterns:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Verifying Changes

After making the modifications:

Test the Webhook: Use the Stripe dashboard to trigger a test webhook again and check for any errors.

Manual POST Requests: You can also send a manual POST request to ensure that both /stripe-webhook and /stripe-webhook/ give the expected response.

Conclusion

By ensuring that your NGINX server is correctly configured to handle requests to both the trailing and non-trailing slash versions of your webhook URL, you can effectively avoid the HTTP 301 error that Stripe reports. This small adjustment can save you a lot of headaches and ensure your payment processing workflow remains intact.

If you continue to experience issues, reviewing your server and application logs may help identify any further adjustments necessary. Thank you for reading, and happy coding!

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