In today's digitized world, it's increasingly crucial for websites to provide region-specific content. This can be achieved through conditional redirection based on geolocation on web servers like Apache and Nginx. In this article, we'll delve into how to set up such redirection on the CentOS 7 operating system.

Configuration on Apache

1. Installation and Configuration of mod_geoip

The first step involves installing the mod_geoip module, enabling Apache to perform actions based on visitor geolocation.

• Install mod_geoip using YUM:

  sudo yum install mod_geoip
  

• After installation, configure mod_geoip in your Apache configuration file (httpd.conf or apache2.conf, depending on your setup). Add configurations like this:

  GeoIPEnable On
  GeoIPDBFile /usr/share/GeoIP/GeoIP.dat
  

2. Setting up Conditional Redirection

After configuring mod_geoip, you can set up rules for redirection based on geolocation in the .htaccess file or directly in your website's configuration files.

Example for redirecting visitors from the Czech Republic to a specific page:

RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{ENV:GEOIP_COUNTRY_CODE} ^CZ$
RewriteRule ^$ http://www.yourdomain.com/czech [L]

Configuration on Nginx

1. Installation and Configuration of ngx_http_geoip_module

For Nginx, you'll need the ngx_http_geoip_module for geolocation functionality.

• Install GeoIP databases and the corresponding Nginx module:

  sudo yum install geoip geoip-devel
  

• Add configuration directives to the main Nginx configuration file (nginx.conf):

  http {
      geoip_country /usr/share/GeoIP/GeoIP.dat;
      ...
  }
  

2. Setting up Conditional Redirection

Similar to Apache, in Nginx, you can set up rules for redirection based on geolocation.

Add this to the server configuration section in nginx.conf or within a specific server block:

if ($geoip_country_code = "CZ") {
    return 301 http://www.yourdomain.com/czech;
}

This example redirects all visitors from the Czech Republic to a specific URL.

 

Configuring conditional redirection based on geolocation can be a valuable tool for enhancing user experience and increasing content relevance for different geographic segments of your visitors. Always ensure that your configurations are properly tested and optimized for the targeting you intend to achieve.