The .htaccess file is a configuration file for web servers running the Apache web server software. In this quick tutorial you will see some of the possible uses of the .htaccess file along with examples for each case.

1. Learn how to use
the .htaccess file
A quick and handy tutorial

2. What is .htaccess ?
The .htaccess file is a configuration file for
web servers running the Apache Web
server software
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3. What is .htaccess ?
Configuration is performed by .htaccess
on a per-directory basis
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4. What is .htaccess ?
The dot before the filename means
that the file is hidden (in Unix-like
Operating Systems)
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5. Use .htaccess for :
● URL rewriting (pretty URLs, easy
to remember URLs, SEF URLs)
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6. Use .htaccess for :
● URL redirects (site migrations,
site upgrades, duplicate content)
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7. Use .htaccess for :
● Basic authentication
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8. Use .htaccess for :
● Security increase by blocking IP
addresses
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9. Use .htaccess for :
● Enabling gzip compression to
optimize performance
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10. Use .htaccess for :
● Creating custom error pages
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11. Use .htaccess for :
● Hiding directory listings
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12. Use .htaccess for :
● Enabling browser caching
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13. How to make a .htaccess:
● Use any text editor (such as
NotePad, UltraEdit, TextEdit, Vim)
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14. Examples :
URL rewrite
RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^new_fancy.html$ old_ugly.html
# This directive allows us to type
# /new_fancy.html and get the file
# /old_ugly.html
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15. Examples :
URL redirect
REDIRECT DOMAIN.COM TO WWW.DOMAIN.COM
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www.domain.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.domain.com/$1 [L,R=301]
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16. Examples :
URL redirect
REDIRECT WWW.DOMAIN.COM TO DOMAIN.COM
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^domain.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://domain.com/$1 [L,R=301]
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17. Examples :
Simple URL redirect
Redirect 301 ^old.html$ http://www.domain.com/new.html
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18. Examples :
Enable gzip compression
<ifModule mod_gzip.c>
mod_gzip_on Yes
mod_gzip_dechunk Yes
mod_gzip_item_include file .(html?|txt|css|js|php|pl)$
mod_gzip_item_include handler ^cgi-script$
mod_gzip_item_include mime ^text/.*
mod_gzip_item_include mime ^application/x-javascript.*
mod_gzip_item_exclude mime ^image/.*
mod_gzip_item_exclude rspheader ^Content-Encoding:.*gzip.*
</ifModule>
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19. Examples :
Password protection
AuthName "Member's Area Name"
AuthUserFile /path/to/password/file/.htpasswd
AuthType Basic
require valid-user
.htpasswd :
username:encryptedpassword
fred_smith:oCF9Pam/MXJg2
Note that the password must be encrypted!
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20. Examples :
Custom error pages
ErrorDocument 401 /err or_pages/401.html
ErrorDocument 404 /error_pages/404.html
ErrorDocument 500 /error_pages/500.html
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21. Examples :
Deny visitors by IP address
order allow,deny
deny from 255.0.0.0
deny from 123.45.6.
allow from all
Users from the IP address '255.0.0.0' as well as from
the IP range '123.45.6.1' to '123.45.6.255' will be blocked.
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22. Examples :
Disable directory listings
IndexIgnore *
To prevent listing multiple file types :
IndexIgnore *.zip *.jpg *.gif
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23. Examples :
Leverage browser caching
<IfModule mod_expires.c>
ExpiresActive On
ExpiresByType image/jpg "access 1 year"
ExpiresByType image/jpeg "access 1 year"
ExpiresByType image/gif "access 1 year"
ExpiresByType image/png "access 1 year"
ExpiresByType text/css "access 1 month"
ExpiresByType text/html "access 1 month"
ExpiresByType application/pdf "access 1 month"
ExpiresByType text/x-javascript "access 1 month"
ExpiresByType application/x-shockwave-flash "access 1 month"
ExpiresByType image/x-icon "access 1 year"
ExpiresDefault "access 1 month"
</IfModule>
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24. Summary :
The .htaccess file can be a valuable tool for a
variety of tasks.
Learning how to use a .htaccess file is an
essential skill for any webmaster.
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25. Thank you!
You may also visit our blog at :
http://www.istogram.com/en/blog.html
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