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-
- <manualpage metafile="htaccess.xml.meta">
- <parentdocument href="./">How-To / Tutorials</parentdocument>
-
- <title>Apache Tutorial: .htaccess files</title>
-
- <summary>
- <p><code>.htaccess</code> files provide a way to make configuration
- changes on a per-directory basis.</p>
- </summary>
-
- <section id="related"><title>.htaccess files</title>
- <related>
- <modulelist>
- <module>core</module>
- <module>mod_auth</module>
- <module>mod_cgi</module>
- <module>mod_include</module>
- <module>mod_mime</module>
- </modulelist>
-
- <directivelist>
- <directive module="core">AccessFileName</directive>
- <directive module="core">AllowOverride</directive>
- <directive module="core">Options</directive>
- <directive module="mod_mime">AddHandler</directive>
- <directive module="core">SetHandler</directive>
- <directive module="core">AuthType</directive>
- <directive module="core">AuthName</directive>
- <directive module="mod_auth">AuthUserFile</directive>
- <directive module="mod_auth">AuthGroupFile</directive>
- <directive module="core">Require</directive>
- </directivelist>
-
- </related>
- </section>
-
- <section id="what">
- <title>What they are/How to use them</title>
-
- <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>
-
- <note><title>Note:</title>
- <p>If you want to call your <code>.htaccess</code> file something
- else, you can change the name of the file using the <directive
- module="core">AccessFileName</directive> 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>
-
- <example>
- AccessFileName .config
- </example>
- </note>
-
- <p>In general, <code>.htaccess</code> files use the same syntax as
- the <a href="../configuring.html#syntax">main configuration
- files</a>. What you can put in these files is determined by the
- <directive module="core">AllowOverride</directive> 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 <directive
- module="core">AllowOverride</directive> in order for that
- directive to be permitted.</p>
-
- <p>For example, if you look at the documentation for the <directive
- module="core">AddDefaultCharset</directive>
- 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>
-
- <example><title>Example:</title>
- <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>
- </example>
-
- <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>
- </section>
-
- <section id="when"><title>When (not) to use .htaccess files</title>
-
- <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 <directive module="core"
- type="section">Directory</directive> 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 <directive
- module="core">AllowOverride</directive>
- 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>
-
- <example>
- /.htaccess<br />
- /www/.htaccess<br />
- /www/htdocs/.htaccess<br />
- /www/htdocs/example/.htaccess
- </example>
-
- <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
- <code>.htaccess</code> files were enabled for <code>/</code>, 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. Note also that giving users less
- privileges than they need will lead to additional technical support
- requests. Make sure you clearly tell your users what level of
- privileges you have given them. Specifying exactly what you have set
- <directive module="core">AllowOverride</directive> to, and pointing them
- to the relevant documentation, will save yourself a lot of confusion
- later.</p>
-
- <p>Note that it is completely equivalent to put a <code>.htaccess</code>
- file in a 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>
-
- <example><title>Contents of .htaccess file in
- <code>/www/htdocs/example</code></title>
- AddType text/example .exm
- </example>
-
- <example><title>Section from your <code>httpd.conf</code>
- file</title>
- <Directory /www/htdocs/example><br />
- <indent>
- AddType text/example .exm<br />
- </indent>
- </Directory>
- </example>
-
- <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 <directive module="core">AllowOverride</directive>
- directive to <code>none</code>:</p>
-
- <example>
- AllowOverride None
- </example>
- </section>
-
- <section id="how"><title>How directives are applied</title>
-
- <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>
-
- <example>
- Options +ExecCGI
- </example>
-
- <p>(Note: you must have "<code>AllowOverride Options</code>" in effect
- to permit the use of the "<directive
- module="core">Options</directive>" 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>
-
- <example>
- Options Includes
- </example>
-
- <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>
- </section>
-
- <section id="auth"><title>Authentication example</title>
-
- <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 <directive module="core" type="section">Directory</directive>
- 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 <a
- href="#when">above</a> 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>
-
- <example>
- AuthType Basic<br />
- AuthName "Password Required"<br />
- AuthUserFile /www/passwords/password.file<br />
- AuthGroupFile /www/passwords/group.file<br />
- Require Group admins
- </example>
-
- <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>
- </section>
-
- <section id="ssi"><title>Server Side Includes example</title>
-
- <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>
-
- <example>
- Options +Includes<br />
- AddType text/html shtml<br />
- AddHandler server-parsed shtml
- </example>
-
- <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>
- </section>
-
- <section id="cgi"><title>CGI example</title>
-
- <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>
-
- <example>
- Options +ExecCGI<br />
- AddHandler cgi-script cgi pl
- </example>
-
- <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>
-
- <example>
- Options +ExecCGI<br />
- SetHandler cgi-script
- </example>
-
- <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="cgi.html">CGI tutorial</a> for a more
- complete discussion of CGI programming and configuration.</p>
-
- </section>
-
- <section id="troubleshoot"><title>Troubleshooting</title>
-
- <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 <directive
- module="core">AllowOverride</directive> 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 <code>.htaccess</code> file is not
- permitted. Alternately, it may tell you that you had a syntax error,
- which you will then need to fix.</p>
-
- </section>
-
- </manualpage>
-