.htaccess Protection
The .htaccess Protection page allows you to configure Apache and IIS web server rules that add a security layer at the server level, before PHP processes the request. Changes made here are written directly to your site's .htaccess file (Apache/IIS) or exported as rules for your Nginx configuration.
As a configuration file, .htaccess is very powerful. Even a minor syntax error can cause severe server malfunctions. Back up your existing .htaccess file before making any changes and test your site thoroughly after saving.
Server detection
The action bar displays the detected web server (APACHE or IIS shown as a chip) and a chip indicating whether a .htaccess file was found in the web root:
- Green chip - .htaccess found
- Red chip - .htaccess not found (the file will be created when you save)
On Nginx servers, a red chip labelled Nginx is shown and a warning explains that .htaccess rules are not supported. A downloadable rules file is generated for manual addition to your Nginx server block configuration.
Tabs
The page is organized into six tabs. Each tab maps to one category of .htaccess rules. See the individual sub-pages for full option details:
Each option shows a green check-mark icon when the corresponding rule has already been written to the .htaccess file.