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+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
+ "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
+ <head>
+ <meta name="generator" content="HTML Tidy, see www.w3.org" />
+
+ <title>Apache Tutorial: .htaccess files</title>
+ </head>
+
+ <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" vlink="#000080"
+ alink="#FF0000">
+ <!--#include virtual="header.html" -->
+
+ <h1 align="CENTER"><code>.htaccess</code> files</h1>
+ <!-- INDEX BEGIN -->
+
+ <ul>
+ <li><a href="#what">What they are/How to use them</a></li>
+
+ <li><a href="#when">When (not) to use <code
+ class="file">.htaccess</code></a> files</li>
+
+ <li><a href="#how">How directives are applied</a></li>
+
+ <li><a href="#auth">Authentication example</a></li>
+
+ <li><a href="#ssi">Server side includes example</a></li>
+
+ <li><a href="#cgi">CGI example</a></li>
+
+ <li><a href="#troubleshoot">Troubleshooting</a></li>
+ </ul>
+ <!-- Index End -->
+
+ <table border="1">
+ <tr>
+ <td valign="top"><strong>Related Modules</strong><br />
+ <br />
+ <code><a href="../mod/core.html">core</a></code><br />
+ <code><a href="../mod/mod_auth.html">mod_auth</a></code><br />
+ <code><a href="../mod/mod_cgi.html">mod_cgi</a></code><br />
+ <code><a href="../mod/mod_include.html">mod_include</a><br />
+ </code> <a href="../mod/mod_mime.html">mod_mine</a><br />
+ </td>
+
+ <td valign="top"><strong>Related Directives</strong><br />
+ <br />
+ <code><a
+ href="../mod/core.html#accessfilename">AccessFileName</a></code><br />
+ <code><a
+ href="../mod/core.html#allowoverride">AllowOverride</a></code><br />
+ <code><a href="../mod/core.html#options">Options</a></code><br />
+ <code><a
+ href="../mod/mod_mime.html#addhandler">AddHandler</a></code><br />
+ <code><a
+ href="../mod/mod_mime.html#sethandler">SetHandler</a></code><br />
+ <code><a
+ href="../mod/core.html#authtype">AuthType</a></code><br />
+ <code><a
+ href="../mod/core.html#authname">AuthName</a></code><br />
+ <code><a
+ href="../mod/mod_auth.html#authuserfile">AuthUserFile</a></code><br />
+ <code><a
+ href="../mod/mod_auth.html#authuserfile">AuthGroupFile</a></code><br />
+ <code><a href="../mod/core.html#require">Require</a></code><br />
+ </td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ <hr />
+
+ <h2><a id="what" name="what">What they are/How to use them</a></h2>
+
+ <p><code>.htaccess</code> files (or "distributed configuration files")
+ provide a way to make configuration changes on a per-directory basis. A
+ file, containing one or more configuration directives, is placed in a
+ particular document directory, and the directives apply to that
+ directory, and all subdirectories thereof.</p>
+
+ <p>Note: If you want to call your <code>.htaccess</code> file something
+ else, you can change the name of the file using the <code><a
+ href="../mod/core.html#accessfilename">AccessFileName</a></code>
+ directive. For example, if you would rather call the file
+ <code>.config</code> then you can put the following in your server
+ configuration file:</p>
+
+ <blockquote>
+ <table cellpadding="10">
+ <tr>
+ <td bgcolor="#eeeeee"><code>AccessFileName .config</code> </td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ </blockquote>
+
+ <p>What you can put in these files is determined by the <code><a
+ href="../mod/core.html#allowoverride">AllowOverride</a></code>
+ directive. This directive specifies, in categories, what directives
+ will be honored if they are found in a <code>.htaccess</code> file. If
+ a directive is permitted in a <code>.htaccess</code> file, the
+ documentation for that directive will contain an Override section,
+ specifying what value must be in <code>AllowOverride</code> in order
+ for that directive to be permitted.</p>
+
+ <p>For example, if you look at the documentation for the <a
+ href="../mod/core.html#adddefaultcharset">AddDefaultCharset</a>
+ directive, you will find that it is permitted in <code>.htaccess</code>
+ files. (See the Context line in the directive summary.) The <a
+ href="../mod/directive-dict.html#Context">Override</a> line reads
+ "<code>FileInfo</code>". Thus, you must have at least
+ "<code>AllowOverride FileInfo</code>" in order for this directive to be
+ honored in <code>.htaccess</code> files.</p>
+
+ <p>Example:</p>
+
+ <blockquote>
+ <table>
+ <tr>
+ <td><a
+ href="../mod/directive-dict.html#Context">Context:</a></td>
+
+ <td>server config, virtual host, directory, .htaccess</td>
+ </tr>
+
+ <tr>
+ <td><a
+ href="../mod/directive-dict.html#Override">Override:</a></td>
+
+ <td>FileInfo</td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ </blockquote>
+
+ <p>If you are unsure whether a particular directive is permitted in a
+ <code>.htaccess</code> file, look at the documentation for that
+ directive, and check the Context line for ".htaccess."</p>
+
+ <h2><a id="when" name="when">When (not) to use .htaccess files</a></h2>
+
+ <p>In general, you should never use <code>.htaccess</code> files unless
+ you don't have access to the main server configuration file. There is,
+ for example, a prevailing misconception that user authentication should
+ always be done in <code>.htaccess</code> files. This is simply not the
+ case. You can put user authentication configurations in the main server
+ configuration, and this is, in fact, the preferred way to do
+ things.</p>
+
+ <p><code>.htaccess</code> files should be used in a case where the
+ content providers need to make configuration changes to the server on a
+ per-directory basis, but do not have root access on the server system.
+ In the event that the server administrator is not willing to make
+ frequent configuration changes, it might be desirable to permit
+ individual users to make these changes in <code>.htaccess</code> files
+ for themselves. This is particularly true, for example, in cases where
+ ISPs are hosting multiple user sites on a single machine, and want
+ their users to be able to alter their configuration.</p>
+
+ <p>However, in general, use of <code>.htaccess</code> files should be
+ avoided when possible. Any configuration that you would consider
+ putting in a <code>.htaccess</code> file, can just as effectively be
+ made in a <a href="../mod/core.html#directory">&lt;Directory&gt;</a>
+ section in your main server configuration file.</p>
+
+ <p>There are two main reasons to avoid the use of
+ <code>.htaccess</code> files.</p>
+
+ <p>The first of these is performance. When <code>AllowOverride</code>
+ is set to allow the use of <code>.htaccess</code> files, Apache will
+ look in every directory for <code>.htaccess</code> files. Thus,
+ permitting <code>.htaccess</code> files causes a performance hit,
+ whether or not you actually even use them! Also, the
+ <code>.htaccess</code> file is loaded every time a document is
+ requested.</p>
+
+ <p>Further note that Apache must look for <code>.htaccess</code> files
+ in all higher-level directories, in order to have a full complement of
+ directives that it must apply. (See section on <a href="#how">how
+ directives are applied</a>.) Thus, if a file is requested out of a
+ directory <code>/www/htdocs/example</code>, Apache must look for the
+ following files:</p>
+
+ <blockquote>
+ <table cellpadding="10">
+ <tr>
+ <td bgcolor="#eeeeee"><code>/.htaccess<br />
+ /www/.htaccess<br />
+ /www/htdocs/.htaccess<br />
+ /www/htdocs/example/.htaccess</code> </td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ </blockquote>
+
+ <p>And so, for each file access out of that directory, there are 4
+ additional file-system accesses, even if none of those files are
+ present. (Note that this would only be the case if .htaccess files were
+ enabled for /, which is not usually the case.)</p>
+
+ <p>The second consideration is one of security. You are permitting
+ users to modify server configuration, which may result in changes over
+ which you have no control. Carefully consider whether you want to give
+ your users this privilege.</p>
+
+ <p>Note that it is completely equivalent to put a .htaccess file in a
+ directory <code>/www/htdocs/example</code> containing a directive, and
+ to put that same directive in a Directory section <code>&lt;Directory
+ /www/htdocs/example&gt;</code> in your main server configuration:</p>
+
+ <p><code>.htaccess</code> file in <code>/www/htdocs/example</code>:</p>
+
+ <blockquote>
+ <table cellpadding="10">
+ <tr>
+ <td bgcolor="#eeeeee"><code>AddType text/example .exm</code>
+ </td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ </blockquote>
+
+ <p><code>httpd.conf</code></p>
+
+ <blockquote>
+ <table cellpadding="10">
+ <tr>
+ <td bgcolor="#eeeeee"><code>&lt;Directory
+ /www/htdocs/example&gt;<br />
+ AddType text/example .exm<br />
+ &lt;/Directory&gt;</code> </td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ </blockquote>
+
+ <p>However, putting this configuration in your server configuration
+ file will result in less of a performance hit, as the configuration is
+ loaded once when Apache starts, rather than every time a file is
+ requested.</p>
+
+ <p>The use of <code>.htaccess</code> files can be disabled completely
+ by setting the <code>AllowOverride</code> directive to "none"</p>
+
+ <blockquote>
+ <table cellpadding="10">
+ <tr>
+ <td bgcolor="#eeeeee"><code>AllowOverride None</code> </td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ </blockquote>
+
+ <h2><a id="how" name="how">How directives are applied</a></h2>
+
+ <p>The configuration directives found in a <code>.htaccess</code> file
+ are applied to the directory in which the <code>.htaccess</code> file
+ is found, and to all subdirectories thereof. However, it is important
+ to also remember that there may have been <code>.htaccess</code> files
+ in directories higher up. Directives are applied in the order that they
+ are found. Therefore, a <code>.htaccess</code> file in a particular
+ directory may override directives found in <code>.htaccess</code> files
+ found higher up in the directory tree. And those, in turn, may have
+ overridden directives found yet higher up, or in the main server
+ configuration file itself.</p>
+
+ <p>Example:</p>
+
+ <p>In the directory <code>/www/htdocs/example1</code> we have a
+ <code>.htaccess</code> file containing the following:</p>
+
+ <blockquote>
+ <table cellpadding="10">
+ <tr>
+ <td bgcolor="#eeeeee"><code>Options +ExecCGI</code> </td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ </blockquote>
+
+ <p>(Note: you must have "<code>AllowOverride Options</code>" in effect
+ to permit the use of the "<code><a
+ href="../mod/core.html#options">Options</a></code>" directive in
+ <code>.htaccess</code> files.)</p>
+
+ <p>In the directory <code>/www/htdocs/example1/example2</code> we have
+ a <code>.htaccess</code> file containing:</p>
+
+ <blockquote>
+ <table cellpadding="10">
+ <tr>
+ <td bgcolor="#eeeeee"><code>Options Includes</code> </td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ </blockquote>
+
+ <p>Because of this second <code>.htaccess</code> file, in the directory
+ <code>/www/htdocs/example1/example2</code>, CGI execution is not
+ permitted, as only <code>Options Includes</code> is in effect, which
+ completely overrides any earlier setting that may have been in
+ place.</p>
+
+ <h2><a id="auth" name="auth">Authentication example</a></h2>
+
+ <p>If you jumped directly to this part of the document to find out how
+ to do authentication, it is important to note one thing. There is a
+ common misconception that you are required to use
+ <code>.htaccess</code> files in order to implement password
+ authentication. This is not the case. Putting authentication directives
+ in a <code>&lt;Directory&gt;</code> section, in your main server
+ configuration file, is the preferred way to implement this, and
+ <code>.htaccess</code> files should be used only if you don't have
+ access to the main server configuration file. See above for a
+ discussion of when you should and should not use <code>.htaccess</code>
+ files.</p>
+
+ <p>Having said that, if you still think you need to use a
+ <code>.htaccess</code> file, you may find that a configuration such as
+ what follows may work for you.</p>
+
+ <p>You must have "<code>AllowOverride AuthConfig</code>" in effect for
+ these directives to be honored.</p>
+
+ <p><code>.htaccess</code> file contents:</p>
+
+ <blockquote>
+ <table cellpadding="10">
+ <tr>
+ <td bgcolor="#eeeeee"><code>AuthType Basic<br />
+ AuthName "Password Required"<br />
+ AuthUserFile /www/passwords/password.file<br />
+ AuthGroupFile /www/passwords/group.file<br />
+ Require Group admins</code> </td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ </blockquote>
+
+ <p>Note that <code>AllowOverride AuthConfig</code> must be in effect
+ for these directives to have any effect.</p>
+
+ <p>Please see the <a href="auth.html">authentication tutorial</a> for a
+ more complete discussion of authentication and authorization.</p>
+
+ <h2><a id="ssi" name="ssi">Server side includes example</a></h2>
+
+ <p>Another common use of <code>.htaccess</code> files is to enable
+ Server Side Includes for a particular directory. This may be done with
+ the following configuration directives, placed in a
+ <code>.htaccess</code> file in the desired directory:</p>
+
+ <blockquote>
+ <table cellpadding="10">
+ <tr>
+ <td bgcolor="#eeeeee"><code>Options +Includes<br />
+ AddType text/html shtml<br />
+ AddHandler server-parsed shtml</code> </td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ </blockquote>
+
+ <p>Note that <code>AllowOverride Options</code> and <code>AllowOverride
+ FileInfo</code> must both be in effect for these directives to have any
+ effect.</p>
+
+ <p>Please see the <a href="ssi.html">SSI tutorial</a> for a more
+ complete discussion of server-side includes.</p>
+
+ <h2><a id="cgi" name="cgi">CGI example</a></h2>
+
+ <p>Finally, you may wish to use a <code>.htaccess</code> file to permit
+ the execution of CGI programs in a particular directory. This may be
+ implemented with the following configuration:</p>
+
+ <blockquote>
+ <table cellpadding="10">
+ <tr>
+ <td bgcolor="#eeeeee"><code>Options +ExecCGI<br />
+ AddHandler cgi-script cgi pl</code> </td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ </blockquote>
+
+ <p>Alternately, if you wish to have all files in the given directory be
+ considered to be CGI programs, this may be done with the following
+ configuration:</p>
+
+ <blockquote>
+ <table cellpadding="10">
+ <tr>
+ <td bgcolor="#eeeeee"><code>Options +ExecCGI<br />
+ SetHandler cgi-script</code> </td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ </blockquote>
+
+ <p>Note that <code>AllowOverride Options</code> must be in effect for
+ these directives to have any effect.</p>
+
+ <p>Please see the <a href="cgi.html">CGI tutorial</a> for a more
+ complete discussion of CGI programming and configuration.</p>
+
+ <h2><a id="troubleshoot" name="troubleshoot">Troubleshooting</a></h2>
+
+ <p>When you put configuration directives in a <code>.htaccess</code>
+ file, and you don't get the desired effect, there are a number of
+ things that may be going wrong.</p>
+
+ <p>Most commonly, the problem is that <code><a
+ href="../mod/core.html#allowoverride">AllowOverride</a></code> is not
+ set such that your configuration directives are being honored. Make
+ sure that you don't have a <code>AllowOverride None</code> in effect
+ for the file scope in question. A good test for this is to put garbage
+ in your <code>.htaccess</code> file and reload. If a server error is
+ not generated, then you almost certainly have <code>AllowOverride
+ None</code> in effect.</p>
+
+ <p>If, on the other hand, you are getting server errors when trying to
+ access documents, check your Apache error log. It will likely tell you
+ that the directive used in your .htaccess file is not permitted.
+ Alternately, it may tell you that you had a syntax error, which you
+ will then need to fix.</p>
+ </body>
+</html>
+