pycon.org.au apex redirect

Minimal Netlify site whose only job is to 301-redirect the apex domain pycon.org.au to the current conference site https://2026.pycon.org.au, over HTTPS, preserving the path.

There is no website here. Just a redirect rule and a fallback page.

How it works

• _redirects — the actual rule. /* -> https://2026.pycon.org.au/:splat 301!
• netlify.toml — the same rule in config form (belt and braces) + tells Netlify to publish this folder directly with no build step.
• index.html — placeholder so Netlify has something to deploy; also a meta-refresh fallback if the redirect rule ever fails to fire.

When PyCon AU moves to a new year (e.g. 2027), change the target in BOTH _redirects and netlify.toml, commit, and Netlify redeploys automatically.

Disaster recovery

If you ever have to set this up from scratch - this is roughly how to approach it.

Deploy

1. Push this repo to GitHub (or drag-and-drop the folder into Netlify).
2. In Netlify: Add new site -> Import (or drop the folder).
3. No build command; publish directory is ..

Connect the domain

1. Netlify -> Site -> Domain management -> Add a domain -> pycon.org.au.
2. Netlify will show the DNS target for the apex (an A record to their load balancer, and/or an ALIAS/CNAME for www). Use the values Netlify shows you at setup — do not hardcode an IP from memory, it can change.
3. Add those records at whichever DNS host is authoritative (VentraIP now; the new registrar/DNS host later).
4. Let Netlify provision the Let's Encrypt certificate (automatic once DNS resolves to them).

Verify (run these before trusting it)

# Should return: HTTP/... 301, and Location: https://2026.pycon.org.au/
curl -sI https://pycon.org.au/ | grep -i -E 'HTTP/|location'

# Path preservation — Location should end in /call-for-proposals
curl -sI https://pycon.org.au/call-for-proposals | grep -i location

# Certificate is valid (no error printed)
curl -sI https://pycon.org.au/ >/dev/null && echo "TLS OK"

Notes

• 301 is a permanent redirect and is cached hard by browsers. Confirm the target is correct before going live — a wrong 301 is sticky.
• Keep TTLs low on the apex A record during cutover so mistakes are quick to undo.