.htaccess

An .htaccess (hypertext access) file is a directory-level configuration file supported by several web servers, used for configuration of website-access settings such as URL redirection, access control, and MIME type handling. The leading dot makes it a hidden file in Unix-like environments.

A site may contain more than one .htaccess file. The files are placed inside the web tree—inside directories and their subdirectories—which is why they are also called distributed configuration files.

Each .htaccess file acts as a local override of the server's main configuration file (such as httpd.conf) for the directory it occupies and all subdirectories beneath it.

The original purpose—reflected in the name—was per-directory access control, for example requiring a password to reach web content. In practice .htaccess files are now used to configure many other settings: content types, character encoding, CGI handlers, and URL rewriting rules.

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