# POST being redirected to GET during testing

**URL:** <https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/post-being-redirected-to-get-during-testing/41514>\
**Category:** Using Django\
**Created:** [June 20, 2025, 4:37pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/post-being-redirected-to-get-during-testing/41514 "2025-06-20T16:37:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 14\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nmiguel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/nmiguel/32/28980_2.png) [@nmiguel](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/nmiguel)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2025, 4:37pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/post-being-redirected-to-get-during-testing/41514/1 "2025-06-20T16:37:27Z")

</div>

I’m trying to create a unit test for a POST request. If I don’t allow the request to follow, I get a 302 with the URL pointing to the same URL I’m trying to post to. If I do allow the request to follow it is redirected to the view I’m trying to hit but loses all data and becomes a GET request.

Here is my unit test:

```auto
import uuid

from django.contrib.auth import get_user
from django.contrib.auth.models import User
from django.urls import reverse
from rest_framework.test import APITestCase, force_authenticate

class MeetingChatAPITest(APITestCase):
    USERNAME = "test_username"
    EMAIL = "a@b.com"
    PASSWORD = "password"

    def setUp(self):
        self.user = User.objects.get(username=self.USERNAME)

    def test_meeting_chat_with_text_input(self):
        url = "/meeting-chat/"

        request_payload = {
                "foo": "bar"
        }

        self.asertTrue(self.client.login(username=self.USERNAME, password=self.PASSWORD))

        response = self.client.post(url, request_payload, format="json", follow=True)

        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 200)

```

And my urls:

```auto
# core.urls

app_name = 'core'

urlpatterns = [
    path('meeting-chat/', chat_meeting, name='meeting_chat'),
]

# <project>urls

urlpatterns = [

    path('', include('core.urls')),
]

```

And my view function:

```auto
@login_required
@require_POST
@csrf_exempt
def chat_meeting(request):
    try:
        payload = json.loads(request.body.decode('utf-8'))
    except json.JSONDecodeError:
        return JsonResponse({'error': 'Invalid JSON'}, status=400) # This line is only hit if I do follow=True on the request and remove the @require_POST decoration

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![white-seolpyo](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/white-seolpyo/32/22386_2.png) [@white-seolpyo](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/white-seolpyo)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 12:12am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/post-being-redirected-to-get-during-testing/41514/2 "2025-06-21T00:12:14Z")

</div>

Didn’t you send the request to `meeting-chat` instead of `meeting-chat/` ?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![YasserShkeir](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/yassershkeir/32/28987_2.png) [@YasserShkeir](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/YasserShkeir)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 11:43am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/post-being-redirected-to-get-during-testing/41514/3 "2025-06-21T11:43:45Z")

</div>

Check your URL formatting & `APPEND_SLASH`  
If the URL pattern uses a trailing slash (`path('meeting-chat/', ...)`), the test must post to `/meeting-chat/`  
Conversely, if there’s no trailing slash, make your test use `/meeting-chat` and you should set `APPEND_SLASH = False` to avoid Django auto-redirecting POSTs  
By default, `APPEND_SLASH = True` — a POST without the slash triggers a redirect with status 301/302, stripping the body and changing to a GET

Hope that helps

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![KenWhitesell](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/kenwhitesell/32/280_2.png) [@KenWhitesell](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/KenWhitesell)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 12:00pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/post-being-redirected-to-get-during-testing/41514/4 "2025-06-21T12:00:14Z")

</div>

Is this the complete view function you are showing here?

If so, this is an invalid view. A Django view _must_ return a response, which you are not showing here.

If not, please show the complete view.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nmiguel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/nmiguel/32/28980_2.png) [@nmiguel](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/nmiguel)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 3:52pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/post-being-redirected-to-get-during-testing/41514/6 "2025-06-21T15:52:40Z")

</div>

I don’t think so, unless I’m misunderstanding what you mean. The request in the test is being sent to `url = "/meeting-chat/"`. I did try all 4 combinations of slashes or no slashes at either end, all of which result in the same response of 302.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nmiguel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/nmiguel/32/28980_2.png) [@nmiguel](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/nmiguel)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 3:57pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/post-being-redirected-to-get-during-testing/41514/7 "2025-06-21T15:57:53Z")

</div>

Thank you for your explanation. I have confirmed the following:

- APPEND\_SLASH is not set anywhere, thus is set to True
- The URL pattern ends in a slash `path('meeting-chat/', ...)`
- The test posts to `/meeting-chat/` , but I did try all 4 combinations of slashes.

If I’m understanding your response correctly this configuration should work.

All tests still return a 302 (or allowing redirect, return a 405 since the POST is changed to a GET).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nmiguel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/nmiguel/32/28980_2.png) [@nmiguel](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/nmiguel)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 3:58pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/post-being-redirected-to-get-during-testing/41514/8 "2025-06-21T15:58:56Z")

</div>

> [@KenWhitesell](#):
>
> If so, this is an invalid view. A Django view _must_ return a res

For brevity and confidentiality, I did not include the full view, but I doubt the issue is within the view as with a debugger I can confirm that no line is executed (it is only executed if I remove the require\_POST decorator and allow follow=True). The full view always returns a JsonResponse as the one shown, or a one with a 200 status code in the case of the happy path.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![white-seolpyo](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/white-seolpyo/32/22386_2.png) [@white-seolpyo](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/white-seolpyo)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 4:35am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/post-being-redirected-to-get-during-testing/41514/9 "2025-06-22T04:35:18Z")

</div>

You’re using `login_required` . The remaining possibility is that the request is being made with an anonymous session, which is causing a redirect to the login page. Try either removing `login_required` or making the request with a logged-in session.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nmiguel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/nmiguel/32/28980_2.png) [@nmiguel](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/nmiguel)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 9:28am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/post-being-redirected-to-get-during-testing/41514/11 "2025-06-22T09:28:08Z")

</div>

> [@nmiguel](#):
>
> I’m logging in just above the request line, using:  
> `self.asertTrue(self.client.login(username=self.USERNAME, password=self.PASSWORD))`
> 
> I have also tried to remove the login-required decorator, to no success. And the location being redirected to is the original url itself (`/meeting_chat/`), not the login page.

I’m logging in just above the request line, using:  
`self.asertTrue(self.client.login(username=self.USERNAME, password=self.PASSWORD))`

I have also tried to remove the login-required decorator, to no success. And the location being redirected to is the original url itself (`/meeting_chat/`), not the login page.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![white-seolpyo](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/white-seolpyo/32/22386_2.png) [@white-seolpyo](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/white-seolpyo)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 12:24am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/post-being-redirected-to-get-during-testing/41514/12 "2025-06-23T00:24:30Z")

</div>

I can’t tell anything more from the content so far. Please disclose the full code of that view.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nmiguel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/nmiguel/32/28980_2.png) [@nmiguel](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/nmiguel)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 7:48am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/post-being-redirected-to-get-during-testing/41514/13 "2025-06-23T07:48:10Z")

</div>

I apologize if my need for confidentiality makes it seem like I’m not cooperating. It is not my intention. While I can’t disclose the full code of the view, I can confirm that the problem persists when the code is reduced to what has been shown here before:

```auto
@login_required
@require_POST
@csrf_exempt
def chat_meeting(request):
    print("Entered the view")

    try:
        payload = json.loads(request.body.decode('utf-8'))
    except json.JSONDecodeError:
        return JsonResponse({'error': 'Invalid JSON'}, status=400)

    response = {"foo": "bar"}
    return JsonResponse(response)

```

Additionally, the print at the top of the view is not printed (and breakpoints placed by the debugger are not caught), so I don’t believe the code of the view is the cause.  
Thank you again for your time in your responses.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nmiguel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/nmiguel/32/28980_2.png) [@nmiguel](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/nmiguel)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 8:03am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/post-being-redirected-to-get-during-testing/41514/14 "2025-06-23T08:03:49Z")

</div>

I have since also tested the same view function but replacing `@login_required` with `@login_not_required` and the same redirect happens, so the problem is likely not due to login.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nmiguel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/nmiguel/32/28980_2.png) [@nmiguel](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/nmiguel)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 9:09am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/post-being-redirected-to-get-during-testing/41514/15 "2025-06-23T09:09:14Z")

</div>

I’ve found the root cause of this. It’s caused by the `core.middlewares.AllowedUsersMiddleware` middleware.

Edit: It’s also possible to fix this by making a get request before the post.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![white-seolpyo](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/white-seolpyo/32/22386_2.png) [@white-seolpyo](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/white-seolpyo)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 1:01am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/post-being-redirected-to-get-during-testing/41514/16 "2025-06-24T01:01:26Z")

</div>

So the problem was because of the middleware you created?