How many htaccess files should i have?

[Zack]

I was looking at some information on .htaccess files and some things that can be done with them but I am not sure if all of the things that I have been thinking about doing with them can be done with just one .htaccess file or if there should or can be multiples.

Does anyone know how many .htaccess files should i have?

 

[vishwa]

You can only create one .htaccess file for a website. This is the rule. because file manager do not allow you to create multiple .htaccess files. If you create multiple than it will overwrite your existing file.

 

[Rob Whisonant]

You can have 1 htaccess file per folder on your website. You can have 1 in the root public_html folder and 1 in each sub folder and sub folder of a sub folder etc.

 

[Zack]

You can only create one .htaccess file for a website. This is the rule. because file manager do not allow you to create multiple .htaccess files. If you create multiple than it will overwrite your existing file.

I saw someone saying something about multiple htaccess files and wasn't sure what they meant. I thought they might have meant multiple versions like updates.

You can have 1 htaccess file per folder on your website. You can have 1 in the root public_html folder and 1 in each sub folder and sub folder of a sub folder etc.

So as long as they are in separate folders then you can have a different one for each folder?

 

[Rob Whisonant]

Rob Whisonant

Yes. Just keep in mind that an htaccess file acts on the folder it is in and any sub folders that don't have an htaccess file in them.

Don't make things difficult though. Keep it simple. The majority of sites that need htaccess only need 1 file in the root folder. If it's a membership site, then 1 in the members area folder also.

 

[Zack]

Zack

Thanks Rob.

Why would a membership site need more? Is it to restrict access to certain areas or for some other reason?

 

[Rob Whisonant]

Rob Whisonant

Yes, it would be to restrict access to members only.

 

[Nikita Patil]

You can upload only 1 htaccess file. .htaccess file is a configuration file used by Apache-based web servers that control access of web crawlers.

 

[Rob Whisonant]

Rob Whisonant

This is not true. You can upload one in every folder on the website. They also control a LOT more than just control crawlers access to your site. Go search out some htaccess tutorials and study them. You will be amazed at what can be done with them.

 

[postcd]

Have as many .htaccess as you require. I think there is no limit.
.htaccess in subdirectories can override RewriteRules of the parent directory .htaccess. Just add line: "RewriteEngine On" in "child" .htaccess to do so.

/home/john/public_html/.htaccess < parent / root folder of the web
/home/john/public_html/admin/.htaccess < child / subfolder

 

[Zack]

Zack

I've seen that and didn't know what it meant. Basically it just means that the code below overrides whatever code is in the parent folders?

 

[postcd]

Zack: It will override only rewrite rules (RewriteRule, RewriteCond) of your parent htaccess. I am not aware of any method that would stop inheriting everything from parent htaccess.

 

[Zack]

Zack

Oh, alright. Thanks for the info. I don't know enough about these things yet so a lot of this just has me lost.

 

[Gh0st4unt3r]

htaccess is very powerful when used properly and has a lot of action you can do from site optimization to website access etc.

Most sites use mainly 1 at the root to cater for all sub folders then an additional ones would be made to protect certain directories like a secure downloads folder to a members only or staff only area.

have a bit of a research on how to use them as they are very useful.

As a note you are never restricted to just 1 per site its actually 1 per folder and it will cater for all sub directories unless another one is put in place to override its parent directory settings.

 

[Mike001]

Listen to Rob above, he has it explained perfectly.

This is a question that comes up frequently in my college classes and I could not have explained it better and more succinct then Rob just did.

Don't make your web development life more difficult then it needs to be.

One in the public_html folder, this will pertain to all folders that do not have their own .htaccess and as Rob recommended for security reasons and file access limitations if you have a membership site, one in the members folder. This will normally have different configuration commands then the root folder based on what your members are allowed to do.

Do some reading on these file types. There are a lot of commands that can be included in the .htaccess file, many more than most people realize. Just remember test them before you upload them to a live site because with all that power, and they can be quite powerful, you can do a lot of damage, not physical but access wise, to your site if you do not understand the proper use of the commands.

Great explanation Rob.

 

[hostguy]

You can use only 1 .htaccess file in 1 folder, so that you can manage redirection, cache etc from .htaccess file.

 

[harrygreen90]

The number of .htaccess files you should have depends on the specific needs and configurations of your website. Typically, you only need one .htaccess file for a single website. This .htaccess file is placed in the root directory of your website and can be used to control the behavior of your website, such as redirecting visitors, adding security, and managing caching.

However, in certain cases, you may want to have multiple .htaccess files for different directories within your website. For example, you may want to have different redirect rules for different parts of your website, or different security settings for different areas. In these cases, you can create separate .htaccess files for each directory, and those rules will only apply to that specific directory.

So, the number of .htaccess files you should have depends on the complexity of your website and the specific rules you want to apply to different parts of it. If you only have a few simple rules, one .htaccess file may be sufficient. If you have more complex needs, multiple .htaccess files may be necessary.

 

[Lineldon]

I've always used one in which I embedded code with comments in separate blocks. Why have more?