What is the .htaccess File?
The .htaccess file in WordPress is a configuration file used by the Apache web server to control various server behaviors. The default .htaccess in WordPress contains several rules and settings that help to ensure your WordPress website is secure and functioning correctly. Some of the key settings in the default WordPress .htaccess file include:
- Redirecting HTTP traffic to HTTPS
- Enabling the use of permalinks
- Blocking access to sensitive files and directories, such as the wp-config.php file
- Specifying custom error pages
- Controlling server-side caching for better performance.
It is important to keep the .htaccess updated to reflect the latest best practices and to ensure your website remains secure and stable.
Benefits of a Properly Configured File
A properly configured .htaccess can offer several benefits, including:
- URL rewriting: you can use .htaccess to clean up and simplify your website’s URLs, making them more readable and user-friendly.
- Security: you can use it to block malicious IP addresses, prevent hotlinking of your images, and enforce HTTPS.
- Error handling: you can use .htaccess to customize the appearance of error pages, such as 404 error pages, and redirect users to specific pages based on the error they receive.
- Performance: it can be used to enable browser caching, compress files, and minimize the number of HTTP requests made by your website.
- Access control: you can use this file to restrict access to certain parts of your website, such as password-protecting certain pages or directories.
Overall, a properly configured .htaccess file can greatly improve your website’s functionality, performance, and security.
Before Editing
Editing the .htaccess can be dangerous because it can lead to website errors and downtime if done incorrectly. It is a powerful configuration file for Apache web servers, and even a small mistake in its syntax can cause your website to stop working. Additionally, malicious changes to it can be used to exploit security vulnerabilities in your website.
It’s recommended to make a backup before making any changes, and to thoroughly test any changes in a development environment before applying them to a live website.
The Default .htaccess File
This is the default .htaccess file created at WordPress installation.
Make a backup of your current .htaccess file by renaming it to something like “htaccess-old”.
# BEGIN WordPress
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule .* - [E=HTTP_AUTHORIZATION:%{HTTP:Authorization}]
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
# END WordPress
If you do not feel comfortable editing your .htaccess file, contact us and we can do it for you.
