.htaccess File Tutorial
This .htacess file tutorial will help you discover what an .htaccess file is, and how you can use these files to CONTROL your website, and help it become noticeably faster and efficient. Scroll down to learn about .htaccess files and how they can easily improve your website's performance and help overcome your competition!
What Is An .htaccess File?
The .htaccess (hypertext access) file is a directory-level configuration file made of Hyper Test Markup Language (HTML) language. By properly placing .htaccess files in various (or all) directories of a web server, you are able to control how a server configures your website - making it more user friendly and efficient.
You must be extremely careful when creating/editing .htaccess files, because even a small mistake can make your website stop working! To avoid this, make a copy of the original content, keep it in a safe place (so you can easily revert back to it), and immediately check your site after any .htaccess file changes have been made.
What Can An .htaccess File Do?
An .htaccess file affects the directory, or sub-directory, that it is placed in. Each of your directories can include its own .htaccess file with specific instructions, or an .htaccess file can be placed in your root so that it affects every single directory on your site.
.htaccess files allow you to perform many different actions behind-the-scenes of your website. There are many uses for an .htaccess file, here are a couple of our favorites:
- Custom Error Pages: You can create custom error pages (like the HTTP 404 Not Found error page) so that visitors will have a more unique and attention-grabbing experience, versus having a more negative experience with a default or host error page.
- .htaccess Redirect: If you have to change a page or site location, you can use an .htaccess file to automatically redirect visitors to a new location with no delay (so that the old location never loads). Click on this link to find out how to
use .htaccess to redirect visitors to a new page or site.
Other common .htaccess examples:
- Denying/Allowing users with certain IP addresses
- Editing file extensions
- Preventing a directory listing or index from being shown
- Rewriting URLs
- Setting up password protected directories and folders
- Using an alternative file as the index file
To discover what codes are needed to do the above .htaccess file actions, check out this .htaccess file cheatsheet and these .htaccess example file codes!
.htaccess Video
This video, titled .htaccess and Redirects for Dummies, is a helpful tutorial that explains the basics of .htaccess files even further:
Check out our basic HTML tutorial, or robots.txt post to learn even more about the behind-the-scene actions of a website. Want even more? Feel free to browse internet marketing tools and discover online business opportunities here at My Famous Website!
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