Tinyauth Redirect Bug: A Comprehensive Guide

Hey there, fellow web enthusiasts! Have you ever run into that frustrating issue where redirects just won't work as expected? If you're using Tinyauth and have bumped into a redirect bug, especially with mixed HTTP and HTTPS configurations, then you're in the right place. This guide is designed to walk you through the problem, diagnose it, and hopefully, get your authentication flow back on track.

Understanding the Tinyauth Redirect Bug

Let's break down the core issue: you've got a setup with Tinyauth protecting a site, and things are going sideways when redirecting users after authentication. This problem often surfaces when your main site uses HTTP while your Tinyauth instance runs on HTTPS. The symptom? After successfully authenticating, the user just stays on the Tinyauth page instead of bouncing back to the original site they were trying to access.

This bug, as reported by users like steveiliop56, is particularly prevalent in Tinyauth versions 4.x. Interestingly, it seems to have worked fine in the older v3. This regression can be a real headache, disrupting the user experience and potentially causing authentication failures. We'll delve into potential causes and offer practical solutions to get your redirects working smoothly.

The Scenario: A Detailed Look

Let's revisit the setup: a site (let's call it stuff.domain.com) hosted on HTTP and protected by Tinyauth. Meanwhile, Tinyauth itself lives securely on HTTPS (at auth.domain.com). When an unauthenticated user tries to visit http://stuff.domain.com, they get gracefully redirected to https://auth.domain.com for authentication. The trouble starts after they authenticate successfully. Instead of being sent back to http://stuff.domain.com, they get stuck at https://auth.domain.com. This is where the bug rears its ugly head, and it's something we aim to fix.

This behavior is more than just a minor inconvenience; it can seriously impact the usability of your site. Imagine your users continuously stuck in a loop, unable to access the content they need. This makes it crucial to understand the root cause of this redirect issue.

Diagnosing the Problem: Potential Causes

Now, let's play detective and figure out what might be causing this redirect glitch. There are several factors at play, and pinpointing the exact cause is the first step toward a solution. Here are some of the most common suspects:

HTTP vs. HTTPS Mismatch

This is the prime suspect. The core of the problem often lies in how your server handles the transition between HTTP and HTTPS. When Tinyauth redirects, it needs to ensure it's correctly telling the browser where to go after authentication. If there's a misconfiguration or a bug in how it handles the protocol (HTTP vs. HTTPS) during the redirect, things can go wrong fast. Check whether the redirect URL contains the correct protocol. For example, after authentication, the user should be redirected to http://stuff.domain.com, not https://stuff.domain.com.

Cookie Issues

Cookies play a big role in authentication. If your server isn't setting cookies correctly, or if there are cross-domain cookie issues, the authentication might appear successful, but the user's session isn't properly maintained across the redirect. This means Tinyauth might