Through the use of .htaccess, I have set up a redirection from one domain to another. Will the website promptly initiate the redirection?

The redirection should take effect immediately. However, in search results, the pages will be replaced gradually. If the website is extensive, this process may take up to a month. If the redirected pages have not been indexed yet, it is advisable to manually add the essential pages to facilitate reindexing and expedite their inclusion in the search index.

Once the redirect is correctly set up, the redirection will take effect promptly. However, it may require some additional time for search engines to index the redirection. This means that for a few more days, links to the "old" domain may still appear in search engine results. Nevertheless, when users click on these links, they will be automatically redirected to the "new" domain.

When you set up a redirection using .htaccess, the web server processes incoming requests and applies the rules defined in the .htaccess file to determine how to handle the request, including redirections.

In the case of a redirection, the .htaccess file contains directives that specify the conditions under which the redirection should occur and the target location to which the request should be redirected. These directives are usually written using Apache's mod_rewrite module, which allows for powerful and flexible URL manipulation.

When a user accesses a URL on the domain for which you've set up the redirection, the web server reads the .htaccess file to determine if there are any specific instructions for that URL. If a redirection rule is found in the .htaccess file, the server processes the request accordingly and initiates the redirection by sending an HTTP 301 or 302 status code and the new location to the user's browser.

However, several factors can affect the speed at which the redirection takes place. First, the server's processing speed and the efficiency of its configuration play a role in how quickly it can read and apply the rules in the .htaccess file. Additionally, the user's browser may have cached the previous response from the server, and it may need to revalidate the redirection, which can introduce some delay.

Furthermore, DNS caching can also impact the speed of the redirection. When a user enters a domain name in their browser, the browser must first resolve the domain name to an IP address using the DNS system. If the DNS information for the new domain is still propagating or if the user's DNS resolver has cached the old information, it may take some time for the new DNS information to propagate throughout the internet, leading to potential delays in the redirection process.
To ensure prompt redirection, it's important to configure the .htaccess file correctly, optimize server performance, and consider the potential impact of caching at various levels, including the user's browser and the DNS system.