What is htaccess and how it works
The configurations of the web servers are variable, and it is almost always necessary to carry out adjustments to achieve the best performance of them, we will detail in the following paragraphs concisely and clearly What is htaccess and how it works
What is .htaccess?
htaccess is a configuration file used by web servers running the software Apache Web Server. When an .htaccess file is placed in a directory which is in turn 'loaded through the Apache Web Server', then the .htaccess file is detected and executed by the Apache Web Server software. These .htaccess files can be used to alter the Apache Web Server software settings to enable / disable additional functionalities and features that the Apache Web Server software has to offer.
These facilities include basic redirection functionality, for example, if a 404 file not found error occurs, or for more advanced features such as password protection of content or prevention of image hotlinks.
In WordPress, the .htaccess file is the most used to rewrite URLs, making them cleaner and more readable for humans and search engines in their query processes.
In the Settings> Permalinks section of the WordPress administration, there is the option to select your url structure. WordPress will automatically rewrite your .htaccess file to handle the URL structure you select.
If WordPress cannot write to the file, it will ask you to do so manually. Manually editing the .htaccess file is risky as it can cause major server errors if configured incorrectly, so be sure to only copy content that WordPress advises you.
Plugins like W3 Total Cache They will modify your .htaccess file to configure the caching and optimization tools that are part of the plugin.
The .htaccess file is usually located in the root directory of your WordPress site. Your FTP client may not be able to show it, since by default all files and directory names that start with a period are considered hidden by the server. To see these hidden files you must activate the option to show hidden files in your FTP client.
How does htaccess work?
The .htaccess file is placed in a directory on the web server. Once this is done, it will be executed by the Apache web server when a request is made from that directory. It is common to place an .htaccess file in the root directory of a site, for example, / public_html. This configures the web server for the entire website. It is a little less common to put .htaccess files in a subdirectory, but it is practiced and has some specific uses.
It is important to know that the .htaccess file, like any other Apache configuration file, reads top to bottom. This means that the settings at the top will run before those at the bottom. You will need to pay attention to the order of your rules to ensure that it works properly and efficiently.
Apache servers are designed to automatically look for an .htaccess file in the directory for which a request is made. If a directory contains an .htaccess file, the server will respond to requests for content using its settings.
You can create multiple .htaccess files for your websites, but you must put them in separate directories. When placed in the root directory of your website, one .htaccess file will affect your entire website. Instead, if it is placed in a subdirectory, it will only affect requests for content from that directory and the directories below.
Regardless of where it is placed, an .htaccess file will change your website's server settings. You can use it to enable or disable, as well as to modify, features of the Apache software. Your website's server will execute the directives in the .htaccess file, thus changing the way it responds to visitor requests.
When to use an .htaccess file
You can configure redirects using an .htaccess file. Redirecting URLs, in fact, is one of the most common applications for an .htaccess file. If you have recently changed the URL structure of your website, you will want to configure redirects. Redirects ensure that anyone who clicks on a link to an old URL will be taken to the new URL on that page.
Redirecting URLs is easy with an .htaccess file. You can configure a 301 or 302 redirect by adding a single line of text to this file. A 301 is a permanent redirect, while a 302 is a temporary redirect. In an .htaccess file, you can configure any of these redirects by entering "301 Redirection" or "302 Redirection", followed by the old URL path and the new URL path.
With an .htaccess file, you can create a custom 404 error page. Some visitors will inevitably encounter a 404 error when browsing your website. By default, they will see a generic page with the message "Page not found" or similar. An .htaccess file allows you to serve a custom 404 error page to these visitors.
After creating a custom 404 error page and uploading it to your website, you can specify it in an .htaccess file. This directive consists of "ErrorDocument 404", followed by the path of the custom error page, such as "ErrorDocument 404 /custom-error-page.html".
And what other use or application do you know for .htaccess?
