If you’ve wandered around our web hosting knowledge base, probably you’ve stumbled upon other articles on .htaccess. Depending on how familiar you are with the topic, you may or may not have asked yourself what exactly is that .htaccess file and how it works.
Related: How to use the Web Hosting Knowledge Base?
The .htaccess file is an extremely important configuration file that is used on Apache web servers. The .htaccess file allows you to manage your web server settings for the directory it is placed in and its subdirectories.
Related: Do you support .htaccess? What should I know about it?
Key Uses
- URL Rewriting: Create user-friendly URLs.
- Redirection: Redirect old URLs to new ones.
Related: How to Make a 301 Redirect Using .htaccess - Custom Error Pages: Define custom error pages for 404, 500 errors, etc.
Related: Do you allow custom error pages? - Password Protection: Restrict access to certain directories using a username and password.
- Access Control: Allow or deny access based on IP addresses.
- MIME Types: Specify file types and their handling.
- Caching: Control browser caching to improve load times.
How It Works
The .htaccess file works on the directory it is placed in. Meaning, that if it is placed in the root directory of your website, its commands will affect the website as a whole. Otherwise, you can put it in a subdirectory, thus, the subdirectory will be the only one affected by the .htaccess configuration file.
The directives (commands) if the configuration file in question are written in plain text format. Make sure that you follow the syntax exactly right, as otherwise, you may cause server malfunction. Don’t worry if that happens, as you can reverse the changes and everything will get back to normal.
In order to prevent unauthorized users from modifying the .htaccess file, set the permissions for the .htaccess file to 644. This setting makes the file readable by the server, while preventing anyone else from accessing it.
Conclusion
The .htaccess file is of key importance for every website owner. Understanding the .htaccess file helps you execute a lot of operations on your Apache server-based website, that you may not be able to achieve without this configuration file. If you are using WordPress hosting, with a WordPress website you may find some plugins that may help you achieve similar results. Yet, even CMSs like WordPress do have a .htaccess file, and it is best to use it for the tasks you can achieve with it.
Bear in mind that overusing .htaccess files can impact performance, so use it wisely. Also, ensure proper permissions and validate content to avoid security vulnerabilities.
