Table of Contents
What Is an .htaccess File?
Redirect a URL Using an .htaccess File
An .htaccess file is a text file used to configure different aspects of your website.
You can use it to redirect URLs, modify URL structure, customize error pages, and more.
Using an .htaccess file is a pretty easy way to make important changes to your site.
But you have to be really careful that you’re editing the rules in the file correctly. Because one mistake can cause a lot of problems for users.
It is a directory-level configuration file supported by the Apache web server software that allows for decentralized management of web server configuration.
It helps control the deployment of web pages, configure security, and enable/disable additional server features. Understanding how to use .htaccess can improve your website’s SEO, security, and usability.
Common uses of .htaccess file
The .htaccess file has several use cases. The most common examples include:
- Redirections for certain URLs
- Load custom error pages, like 404 pages
- Force your website to HTTPS instead of HTTP
- Allow or deny specific IP addresses access to your website
- Password-protect certain directories on your server
.htaccess File Use Cases
The directives in the .htaccess file are very powerful, and one must use them carefully since faulty configurations can make the website inaccessible. The .htaccess file has various use cases. The most common use cases include:
1. Password Protection: The .htaccess file allows you to password-protect specific directories on your website. It is useful when you want to restrict access to sensitive information or web pages not meant for the public.
2. Redirects: With .htaccess, you can redirect users to different pages or URLs. It can be helpful when you are moving pages on your website or when you want to direct users to specific landing pages.
3. Enforcing Secure Connections: You can use .htaccess to force your website visitors to use HTTPS instead of HTTP. It ensures that all data transmitted between the server and the browser is encrypted.
4. Redirect www to non-www, and vice-versa: You can use .htaccess to redirect traffic from your domain with or without the “www” prefix. It is useful when you want to unify the URL structure of your website.
5. Prevent Hotlinking: Hotlinking can lead to high server loads and increased bandwidth usage. With .htaccess, you can block specific websites from hotlinking to your content.
6. Customizing 404 Error Pages: A 404 error page is displayed when a user tries to access a page on your website that doesn’t exist. You can customize this page with .htaccess to provide users with more information and options.
7. Changing the Default Start Page: By default, web servers look for an index.html or index.php file to display as the start page of your website. With .htaccess, you can specify a different default page.
8. Blocking Specific IP Addresses: If you want to block access to your website from specific IP addresses, you can use .htaccess. It is helpful to prevent access from malicious bots or hackers.
Redirect a URL Using an .htaccess File
how to redirect your domain using a .htaccess file using common redirect rules.
How to Redirect HTTP Requests to HTTPS
In order to redirect your website to be opened through HTTPS, you should add the following rewrite rule to your .htaccess file:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
RewriteRule .* https://www.domain.com%{REQUEST_URI} [R,L]
This will redirect your domain to https://www.domain.com
If you wish the redirect to work without www, you should remove it from the rewrite rule:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
RewriteRule .* https://domain.com%{REQUEST_URI} [R,L]
This will redirect your domain to https://domain.com
How to Redirect an Old Domain to a New Domain
In order to redirect your old domain to a new domain name, you should add the following rewrite rule to your .htaccess file:
RewriteEngine on RewriteBase / RewriteRule (.*) http://www.new-domain.com/$1 [R=301,L][/php]
How to Redirect From a Non-Www to Www URL
In order to redirect your site from a non-www to www URL, you should add the following rewrite rule to your .htaccess file:
RewriteEngine on
RewriteBase /
rewritecond %{http_host} ^domain.com [nc]
rewriterule ^(.*)$ http://www.domain.com/$1 [r=301,nc]
How to Redirect a Domain’s Page to a Different Page
In order to redirect a specific page or section of your site to a different one, you should add the following rewrite rule to your .htaccess file:
Redirect 301 /page-name http://domain.com/new-page
How to Redirect an Entire Site to a Subfolder
In order to redirect your entire and for it to load from a subfolder, you should add the following rewrite rule to your .htaccess file:
Redirect 301 / http://domain.com/subfolder-name/
How to Redirect a Subfolder to a Different Domain
In order to redirect a subfolder to a different site, you should add the following rewrite rule to your .htaccess file:
Redirect 301 /subfolder-name http://different-domain.com/
How to Redirect All Files with a Certain Extension but Retain the File Name
If you want a .html extension to use the same filename but use the .php extension, you should add the following rewrite rule to your .htaccess file:
RedirectMatch 301 (.*)\.html$ http://domain.com$1.php
How to Redirect One Directory to Another
In order to redirect one directory or subfolder to a different one, you should add the following rewrite rule to your .htaccess file:
Options +FollowSymLinks RewriteEngine On RewriteRule ^(.*)/old-directory/(.*)$ $1/new-directory/$2 [R,L]
How to Redirect from a Blog Subdomain to a Blog Folder
In order to redirect blog.oldsite.com to www.newsite.com/blog/ you should add the following rewrite rule to your .htaccess file:
Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI}/ blog
RewriteRule ^(.*) http://www.new-domain.com/%{REQUEST_URI} [R=302,NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*) http://www.new-domain.com/blog/%{REQUEST_URI} [R=302,NC]
