WHAT IS an .HTACCESS FILE?

Answer by: Stuart Pierce, Aplus.Net Knowledge Base Support

The .htaccess file is a simple ASCII text file that can be used to adjust Apache server settings for individual directories in your web space.

Please have in mind that the .htaccess files can be used with UNIX-based shared hosting plans only. 

The .htaccess files are commonly used to:

• Implement password protection for website directories
• Create custom error pages
• Block traffic from specific IP addresses
• URL Redirections
  
• Change / Add MIME types
• Change the default page for a web directory
• Prevent hot-linking of your images
• Enable Directory Listing

The Aplus.Net Control Panel offers several tools which you can use to automatically create the needed .htaccess file for the following actions:
Note: these tools are not available with the Personal Unix hosting plan.

• How do I password protect a directory?
• How can I setup a custom error page?
• How can I block access to my website from specific IP addresses?
• How do I redirect the URL of my website?
• How do I set a custom MIME type using the Control Panel?
• How does the Hotlink Prevention tool work?

Here is how you can start by creating the .htaccess file, still without adding content to it:

• How do I create an .htaccess file?
• How do I upload an .htaccess file?
  

Here are instructions on how to create your own .htaccess files for some specific purposes:

• How do I use .htaccess to password protect a directory in my subdomains?
• How do I use .htaccess to setup custom error pages for my subdomains?
• How do I set custom MIME types for directories which are not accessible with the MIME Configuration tool in the Control Panel?
• How do I enable directory listing?
• How do I create an .htaccess file to block traffic to my website from specific addresses?

We'd like also to recommend a good .htaccess tutorial available here:

• http://javascriptkit.com/howto/htaccess.shtml