Generate .htaccess rules instantly. Create Apache configuration rules for redirects, URL rewrites, password protection, and more.
A .htaccess file is a configuration file used by Apache web servers to control various aspects of website behavior at the directory level. The name stands for "hypertext access" and allows you to override server configuration settings without modifying the main Apache configuration file. This makes it particularly useful for shared hosting environments where you don't have direct access to server configuration files.
Our free .htaccess generator simplifies the process of creating properly formatted .htaccess rules. Instead of manually writing Apache directives and remembering complex syntax, you can use our intuitive interface to configure redirects, URL rewrites, password protection, and other common Apache configurations. The generator creates valid .htaccess code that you can immediately upload to your server.
.htaccess files are essential for many common web development tasks. They enable URL redirects, clean URL structures, password protection, custom error pages, security headers, and performance optimizations. Without .htaccess files, you'd need server-level access to configure these settings, which isn't available on most shared hosting plans.
Properly configured .htaccess files can improve SEO through clean URLs, enhance security with access controls and headers, optimize performance with compression and caching, and provide better user experience with custom error pages and redirects. They're particularly valuable for WordPress sites, custom applications, and websites requiring specific Apache configurations.
URL redirects are one of the most common uses of .htaccess files. They allow you to redirect visitors from one URL to another, which is essential for SEO when moving content, changing domain names, or restructuring your site. Redirects can be permanent (301) or temporary (302), with 301 redirects being preferred for SEO as they pass link equity to the new URL.
Common redirect scenarios include redirecting non-www to www (or vice versa), redirecting HTTP to HTTPS, redirecting old URLs to new URLs, and redirecting entire directories. Our generator makes it easy to create these redirects without manually writing Apache directives.
URL rewriting (mod_rewrite) allows you to create clean, SEO-friendly URLs by rewriting requested URLs before Apache processes them. This is essential for creating user-friendly URLs like "/blog/post-title" instead of "/blog.php?id=123". URL rewriting is commonly used in content management systems, e-commerce platforms, and custom web applications.
Rewrite rules use regular expressions to match URL patterns and rewrite them to the actual file paths. This enables clean URLs, removes file extensions, handles trailing slashes, and creates custom URL structures. Our generator helps you create rewrite rules with proper syntax and flags.
.htaccess files can protect directories with password authentication, requiring users to enter credentials before accessing protected content. This is useful for protecting admin areas, staging sites, private content, or development environments. Password protection uses HTTP Basic Authentication, which is supported by all browsers.
To implement password protection, you need both a .htaccess file (which our generator creates) and a .htpasswd file containing encrypted passwords. The .htaccess file specifies the authentication method and protected directory, while the .htpasswd file stores user credentials.
Beyond common rules, .htaccess files support many other configurations including custom error pages, MIME types, character encoding, file access controls, IP blocking, hotlink protection, and performance optimizations like GZIP compression and browser caching. Our generator includes a custom rule option for advanced configurations.
.htaccess files work by allowing Apache to read configuration directives from files in your website's directories. When Apache processes a request, it searches for .htaccess files starting from the requested file's directory and moving up to the document root. Each .htaccess file can override settings from parent directories or the main Apache configuration.
The process involves:
Rules are processed in order, so the sequence matters. The first matching rule typically takes precedence, though some rules can be chained together using flags.
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www\. [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://www.%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteRule ^([^.]+)$ $1.php [NC,L]While .htaccess files are powerful, they have some limitations and considerations:
For high-traffic sites, consider moving .htaccess rules to the main Apache configuration file for better performance. However, for most shared hosting environments, .htaccess files are the only option for configuration.
After generating your .htaccess file, test it carefully:
If your site breaks after uploading .htaccess, immediately rename or remove the file to restore functionality, then review the rules for syntax errors.
Place .htaccess in your website's root directory (public_html or www). Rules apply to that directory and all subdirectories unless overridden.
No, .htaccess is Apache-specific. Nginx uses different configuration files and syntax. You'll need to convert rules to Nginx format.
A syntax error in .htaccess can cause a 500 Internal Server Error. Always backup your file and test changes in a staging environment first.
There's no hard limit, but too many redirects can impact performance. Consider consolidating redirects or using a redirect map for large numbers of redirects.
Yes, create separate .htaccess files in each directory you want to protect, or use a single .htaccess with multiple Directory blocks.