.htaccess · WebGlossary.info

A directory-level configuration file supported by several web servers, used for the configuration of website access issues, such as URL redirection, URL shortening, access control, and more. A site could have more than one .htaccess file, and the files are placed inside the web tree (i.e., inside directories and their subdirectories). .htaccess files act as a subset of the server’s global configuration file (like httpd.conf) for the directory that they are in, or all subdirectories. The original purpose of .htaccess—reflected in its name—was to allow per-directory access control by, for example, requiring a password to access web content. More commonly, however, the .htaccess files define or override many other configuration settings such as content type, character set, CGI handlers, etc. ← Wikipedia