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6 <title>Configuration Files</title>
9 <p>This document describes the files used to configure the Apache
14 <title>Main Configuration Files</title>
17 <module>mod_mime</module>
20 <directive module="core" type="section">IfDefine</directive>
21 <directive module="core">Include</directive>
22 <directive module="mod_mime">TypesConfig</directive>
26 <p>Apache is configured by placing <a
27 href="mod/directives.html">directives</a> in plain text
28 configuration files. The main configuration file is usually called
29 <code>httpd.conf</code>. The location of this file is set at
30 compile-time, but may be overridden with the <code>-f</code>
31 command line flag. In addition, other configuration files may be
32 added using the <directive module="core">Include</directive>
33 directive, and wildcards can be used to include many configuration
34 files. Any directive may be placed in any of these configuration
35 files. Changes to the main configuration files are only
36 recognized by Apache when it is started or restarted.</p>
38 <p>The server also reads a file containing mime document types;
39 the filename is set by the <directive
40 module="mod_mime">TypesConfig</directive> directive,
41 and is <code>mime.types</code> by default.</p>
45 <title>Syntax of the Configuration Files</title>
47 <p>Apache configuration files contain one directive per line.
48 The back-slash "\" may be used as the last character on a line
49 to indicate that the directive continues onto the next line.
50 There must be no other characters or white space between the
51 back-slash and the end of the line.</p>
53 <p>Directives in the configuration files are case-insensitive,
54 but arguments to directives are often case sensitive. Lines
55 that begin with the hash character "#" are considered
56 comments, and are ignored. Comments may <strong>not</strong> be
57 included on a line after a configuration directive. Blank lines
58 and white space occurring before a directive are ignored, so
59 you may indent directives for clarity.</p>
61 <p>You can check your configuration files for syntax errors
62 without starting the server by using <code>apachectl
63 configtest</code> or the <code>-t</code> command line
67 <section id="modules">
68 <title>Modules</title>
72 <module>mod_so</module>
75 <directive module="core" type="section">IfModule</directive>
76 <directive module="mod_so">LoadModule</directive>
80 <p>Apache is a modular server. This implies that only the most
81 basic functionality is included in the core server. Extended
82 features are available through <a
83 href="mod/">modules</a> which can be loaded
84 into Apache. By default, a <a
85 href="mod/module-dict.html#Status">base</a> set of modules is
86 included in the server at compile-time. If the server is
87 compiled to use <a href="dso.html">dynamically loaded</a>
88 modules, then modules can be compiled separately and added at
89 any time using the <directive module="mod_so">LoadModule</directive>
91 Otherwise, Apache must be recompiled to add or remove modules.
92 Configuration directives may be included conditional on a
93 presence of a particular module by enclosing them in an<directive
94 module="core" type="section">IfModule</directive> block.</p>
96 <p>To see which modules are currently compiled into the server,
97 you can use the <code>-l</code> command line option.</p>
101 <title>Scope of Directives</title>
105 <directive module="core" type="section">Directory</directive>
106 <directive module="core" type="section">DirectoryMatch</directive>
107 <directive module="core" type="section">Files</directive>
108 <directive module="core" type="section">FilesMatch</directive>
109 <directive module="core" type="section">Location</directive>
110 <directive module="core" type="section">LocationMatch</directive>
111 <directive module="core" type="section">VirtualHost</directive>
115 <p>Directives placed in the main configuration files apply to
116 the entire server. If you wish to change the configuration for
117 only a part of the server, you can scope your directives by
118 placing them in <directive module="core"
119 type="section">Directory</directive>, <directive module="core"
120 type="section">DirectoryMatch</directive>, <directive module="core"
121 type="section">Files</directive>, <directive module="core"
122 type="section">FilesMatch</directive>, <directive module="core"
123 type="section">Location</directive>, and <directive module="core"
124 type="section">LocationMatch</directive>
125 sections. These sections limit the application of the
126 directives which they enclose to particular filesystem
127 locations or URLs. They can also be nested, allowing for very
128 fine grained configuration.</p>
130 <p>Apache has the capability to serve many different websites
131 simultaneously. This is called <a href="vhosts/">Virtual
132 Hosting</a>. Directives can also be scoped by placing them
133 inside <directive module="core" type="section">VirtualHost</directive>
134 sections, so that they will only apply to requests for a
135 particular website.</p>
137 <p>Although most directives can be placed in any of these
138 sections, some directives do not make sense in some contexts.
139 For example, directives controlling process creation can only
140 be placed in the main server context. To find which directives
141 can be placed in which sections, check the <a
142 href="mod/directive-dict.html#Context">Context</a> of the
143 directive. For further information, we provide details on <a
144 href="sections.html">How Directory, Location and Files sections
148 <section id="htaccess">
149 <title>.htaccess Files</title>
153 <directive module="core">AccessFileName</directive>
154 <directive module="core">AllowOverride</directive>
158 <p>Apache allows for decentralized management of configuration
159 via special files placed inside the web tree. The special files
160 are usually called <code>.htaccess</code>, but any name can be
161 specified in the <directive module="core">AccessFileName</directive>
162 directive. Directives placed in <code>.htaccess</code> files
163 apply to the directory where you place the file, and all
164 sub-directories. The <code>.htaccess</code> files follow the
165 same syntax as the main configuration files. Since
166 <code>.htaccess</code> files are read on every request, changes
167 made in these files take immediate effect.</p>
169 <p>To find which directives can be placed in
170 <code>.htaccess</code> files, check the <a
171 href="mod/directive-dict.html#Context">Context</a> of the
172 directive. The server administrator further controls what
173 directives may be placed in <code>.htaccess</code> files by
174 configuring the <directive module="core">AllowOverride</directive>
175 directive in the main configuration files.</p>
177 <p>For more information on <code>.htaccess</code> files, see
178 the <a href="howto/htaccess.html">.htaccess tutorial</a>.</p>