htaccess Basics in Apache
From the Apache cheat sheet · htaccess & URL Rewriting · verified Jul 2026
.htaccess Basics
Common .htaccess configurations
apache
# Enable rewrite engine
RewriteEngine On
# Redirect to HTTPS
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L]
# Remove www
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.(.+)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%1/$1 [R=301,L]
# Custom error pages
ErrorDocument 404 /404.html
ErrorDocument 500 /500.html📁 .htaccess provides directory-level config
🔒 Requires AllowOverride All in vhost
⚡ Can impact performance if overused
🎯 Great for shared hosting environments