Magento 2 Pagination Urls changing from ?p= to &p=

Question

For some strange reason, despite not running any recent updates, our pagination links have broken on all categories.

So they are occuring as &p=2 rather than ?p=2. The link still works if you correct the url to a question mark, but for some reason, something is changing the links to include an & sign instead.

Updated all modules we can. We have Cloudflare and Nitropack in place as well, but using bypass on cloudflare and nothing changes.

We can temporarily fix the issue by invalidating indexers and reindexing then flush cache. But soon after it breaks again.

No errors in any logs including the cron log.

Any help would be great!

Answer 1

Troubleshooting issues like broken pagination links can be challenging, especially when there are multiple components involved, such as content management systems, caching mechanisms, and third-party services like Cloudflare and Nitropack. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you identify and resolve the issue:

1. Review Recent Changes: Even if you haven't run recent updates, it's possible that changes were made inadvertently. Check if anyone in your team or any automated process made changes to your website configuration or code.

2. Examine .htaccess or Server Configuration: If your website is hosted on an Apache server, check your .htaccess file for any URL rewriting rules that might be affecting the pagination links. Similarly, review server-level configurations if you're using Nginx or another web server.

3. CMS Configuration: Verify your content management system (e.g., WordPress, Joomla, Drupal) settings for pagination. Ensure that the correct URL structure is specified in your CMS settings.

4. Theme or Template Issues: If you're using a custom theme or template, it's possible that the issue lies there. Check the template files responsible for rendering pagination links and confirm they are generating links with a question mark (?) instead of an ampersand (&).

5. Third-Party Modules or Plugins: Review all installed plugins, modules, or extensions. Sometimes, a third-party extension can modify the behavior of your website. Disable them one by one to see if any of them are causing the issue.

6. Caching: Caching mechanisms can sometimes cause issues like this. Clear your CMS cache, any caching plugins, and also check the settings in Nitropack to ensure it's not causing URL rewriting.

7. Cloudflare: Although you mentioned that you've bypassed Cloudflare, review your Cloudflare settings to ensure there are no page rules or other configurations that could impact URL structure.

8. Server Logs: Recheck server logs for any unusual activity, especially in the web server and PHP error logs. Look for any entries related to URL rewriting or unexpected redirects.

9. Database: It's unlikely, but check if there are any database entries that might be modifying the URL structure. Check your CMS database for any custom modifications or scripts that could be altering the URLs.

10. Monitoring and Debugging: Implement monitoring and debugging tools. Consider using tools like Chrome DevTools or browser extensions to inspect the network traffic and see if there are any redirects happening on page load.

11. Contact Support: If you've exhausted all options and still can't identify the issue, consider reaching out to the support teams of your CMS, hosting provider, and any third-party services you're using. They might be able to provide insights or solutions specific to their platforms.

12. Regular Backups: Ensure you have regular backups of your website so you can revert to a working state if needed.

Remember to document any changes you make during the troubleshooting process, so you can easily revert them if necessary. Additionally, make changes one at a time and test the pagination links after each change to isolate the root cause.