Htaccess File and Its Uses

Htaccess file is a configuration file that is used in the Apache-based web servers to control various functions of the server. htaccess provides a way to configure the details of your website without having to modify the server configuration files.

You can create the htaccess file in a text editor and then upload it to your site via an FTP client. It's an incredibly useful feature that allows webmasters to control many aspects of their work sites. You can redirect 301 pages, change extensions pages, rewrite urls for better keyword ranking presence, password protect directories, redirect Error Document 404 and more.

Mod_Rewrite:  One of the most useful facets of the .htaccess file is mod_rewrite. You can use the space in the .htaccess file to designate and alter how URLs and web pages on your sites are displayed to your users.

Custom Error Pages: The .htaccess file allows you to create custom error pages to provide more information to the site visitor than the default server error page. Some of the most common errors are:

• 400 Bad Request
• 401 Authorization Required
• 403 Forbidden Page
• 404 File not Found
• 500 Internal Error

Htaccess is also extremely sensitive. A semicolon missing, wrong letter or extra backslash can ruin everything. So you need to make sure that what you write is correct 100%.