---
title: "Link to previous page if internal request"
author: "Yaroslav Shmarov"
date: "2022-09-29"
canonical_url: "https://blog.superails.com/link-back-if-internal-request"
markdown_url: "https://blog.superails.com/link-back-if-internal-request.md"
description: "Sometimes you would like to let the user navigate to a previous page in history. However, you don't want to let the user navigate to a previous url that is from…"
tags: ["rails","ruby-on-rails"]
license: "GNU AGPL v3. Credit Yaroslav Shmarov and link the canonical URL."
---

# Link to previous page if internal request

Sometimes you would like to let the user navigate to a previous page in history.

However, you don't want to let the user navigate to a previous url that is **from another website**.

Here's how I prevent 

Determine if the URL is from the current website:

```ruby
def internal_request?
  previous_url = request.referrer
  return false if previous_url.blank?

  referrer = URI.parse(previous_url)

  return true if referrer.host == request.host

  false
end
```

Hide link "Back" if the request is not from current website:

```ruby
if internal_request?
  # link_to 'Back', 'javascript:history.back()'
  link_to 'Back', request.referrer
end
```

That's it!