alink="#FF0000">
<!--#include virtual="header.html" -->
- <h1 align="CENTER">.htaccess files</h1>
+ <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 .htaccess files</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>
<tr>
<td valign="top"><strong>Related Modules</strong><br />
<br />
- <a href="../mod/core.html">core</a><br />
- <a href="../mod/mod_auth.html">mod_auth</a><br />
- <a href="../mod/mod_cgi.html">mod_cgi</a><br />
- <a href="../mod/mod_includes.html">mod_includes</a><br />
- <a href="../mod/mod_mime.html">mod_mine</a><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_includes.html">mod_includes</a><br />
+
</code> <a href="../mod/mod_mime.html">mod_mine</a><br />
</td>
<td valign="top"><strong>Related Directives</strong><br />
<br />
- <a href="../mod/core.html#accessfilename">AccessFileName</a><br />
- <a href="../mod/core.html#allowoverride">AllowOverride</a><br />
- <a href="../mod/core.html#options">Options</a><br />
- <a href="../mod/mod_mime.html#addhandler">AddHandler</a><br />
- <a href="../mod/core.html#sethandler">SetHandler</a><br />
- <a href="../mod/core.html#authtype">AuthType</a><br />
- <a href="../mod/core.html#authname">AuthName</a><br />
- <a href="../mod/mod_auth.html#authuserfile">AuthUserFile</a><br />
- <a href="../mod/mod_auth.html#authuserfile">AuthGroupFile</a><br />
- <a href="../mod/core.html#require">Require</a><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/core.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>
<h2><a id="what" name="what">What they are/How to use them</a></h2>
- <p>.htaccess 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
+ <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 .htaccess file something else, you can
- change the name of the file using the <a
- href="../mod/core.html#accessfilename">AccessFileName</a> directive. For
- example, if you would rather call the file .config 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 AllowOverride
- directive. This directive specifies, in categories, what directives will
- be honored if they are found in a .htaccess file. If a directive is
- permitted in a .htaccess file, the documentation for that directive will
- contain an Override section, specifying what value must be in
- AllowOverride in order for that directive to be permitted.</p>
-
- <p>For example, if you look at the docs for the <a
+ <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 .htaccess files. (See
- the Context line in the directive summary.) The <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
- "FileInfo". Thus, you must have at least "AllowOverride FileInfo" in
- order for this directive to be honored in .htaccess files.</p>
+ "<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>
+ <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>
+ <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
- .htaccess file, look at the documentation for that directive, and check
- the Context line for ".htaccess."</p>
+ <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 .htaccess 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 .htaccess 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>.htaccess 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 .htaccess files for themselves.</p>
-
- <p>However, in general, use of .htaccess files should be avoided when
- possible. Any configuration that you would consider putting in a
- .htaccess file, can just as effectively be made in a <a
- href="../mod/core.html#Directory"><Directory></a>
+ <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"><Directory></a>
section in your main server configuration file.</p>
- <p>There are two main reasons to avoid the use of .htaccess files.</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 AllowOverride is set to allow
- the use of .htaccess files, Apache will look in every directory for
- .htaccess files. Thus, permitting .htaccess files causes a performance
- hit, whether or not you actually even use them! Also, the .htaccess file
- is loaded every time a document is requested.</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 .htaccess files in all
- higher-level directories, in order to have a full complement of
+ <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 /www/htdocs/example, 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>
+ 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>
+ 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>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 /www/htdocs/example containing a directive, and to put that
- same directive in a Directory section <Directory
- /www/htdocs/example> in your main server configuration:</p>
-
- <p>.htaccess file in /www/htdocs/example:</p>
-
-<blockquote><table cellpadding="10"><tr><td bgcolor="#eeeeee"><code>
-AddType text/example .exm
-</code></td></tr></table></blockquote>
-
- <p>httpd.conf</p>
-
-<blockquote><table cellpadding="10"><tr><td bgcolor="#eeeeee"><code>
-<Directory /www/htdocs/example><br>
- AddType text/example .exm<br>
-</Directory>
-</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 .htaccess files can be disabled completely by setting the
- AllowOverride directive to "none"</p>
-
-<blockquote><table cellpadding="10"><tr><td bgcolor="#eeeeee"><code>
- AllowOverride None
-</code></td></tr></table></blockquote>
+ directory <code>/www/htdocs/example</code> containing a directive, and
+ to put that same directive in a Directory section <code><Directory
+ /www/htdocs/example></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><Directory
+ /www/htdocs/example><br />
+ AddType text/example .exm<br />
+ </Directory></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 .htaccess file are applied to
- the directory in which the .htaccess file is found, and to all
- subdirectories thereof. However, it is important to also remember that
- there may have been .htaccess files in directories higher up. Directives
- are applied in the order that they are found. Therefore, a .htaccess file
- in a particular directory may override directives found in .htaccess
- files found higher up in the directory tree. And those, in turn, may have
+ <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 /www/htdocs/example1 we have a .htaccess 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 "AllowOverride Options" in effect to permit the
- use of the "Options" directive in .htaccess files.)</p>
-
- <p>In the directory /www/htdocs/example1/example2 we have a .htaccess
- file containing:</p>
-
-<blockquote><table cellpadding="10"><tr><td bgcolor="#eeeeee"><code>
-Options Includes
-</code></td></tr></table></blockquote>
-
- <p>Because of this second .htaccess file, in the directory
- /www/htdocs/example1/example2, CGI execution is not permitted, as only
- Options Includes is in effect, which completely overrides any earlier
- setting that may have been in place.</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 .htaccess files in order to
- implement password authentication. This is not the case. Putting
- authentication directives in a <Directory> section, in your main
- server configuration file, is the preferred way to implement this, and
- .htaccess 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 .htaccess files.</p>
-
- <p>Having said that, if you still think you need to use a .htaccess file,
- you may find that a configuration such as what follows may work for
- you.</p>
-
- <p>You must have "AllowOverride AuthConfig" in effect for these
- directives to be honored.</p>
-
- <p>.htaccess 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 AllowOverride AuthConfig 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>
+ <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><Directory></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 .htaccess files is to enable Server Side
- Includes for a particular directory. This may be done with the following
- configuration directives, placed in a .htaccess 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 AllowOverride Options and AllowOverride FileInfo must both
- be in effect for these directives to have any effect.</p>
+ <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 .htaccess 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>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>
+ <blockquote>
+ <table cellpadding="10">
+ <tr>
+ <td bgcolor="#eeeeee"><code>Options +ExecCGI<br />
+ SetHandler cgi-script</code> </td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ </blockquote>
- <p>Note that AllowOverride Options must be in effect for these directives
- to have any effect.</p>
+ <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 .htaccess file, and you
- don't get the desired effect, there are a number of things that may be
- going wrong.</p>
+ <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 <a
- href="../mod/core.html#allowoverride">AllowOverride</a> is not set such that
- your configuration directives are being honored. Make sure that you don't
- have a AllowOverride None in effect for the file scope in question. A
- good test for this is to put garbage in your .htaccess file and reload.
- If a server error is not generated, then you almost certainly have
- AllowOverride None in effect.</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>
+ Alternately, it may tell you that you had a syntax error, which you
+ will then need to fix.</p>
</body>
</html>
projects / apache / commitdiff