.htaccess Generator

Introduction:

An Apache .htaccess file lets you tailor request handling at directory level, enabling redirects, compression, caching, custom error pages, access control, and security headers without touching the central server configuration. Because directives are parsed for every request, they override parent settings instantly, requiring careful syntax, order, and commenting for maintainable deployments.

This generator provides a modular drag-and-drop builder that assembles production-ready .htaccess sections from validated templates. Each time you add, reorder, or tweak a module, the reactive engine recalculates the live preview, byte size, and rule count, then produces clean text with optional inline comments stripped, suitable for copying or downloading straight into your project root.

For instance, a freelance developer shifting a client portfolio to HTTPS can combine the “Force HTTPS,” “non-www to www,” and “Content-Security-Policy” modules within minutes, enforcing robust security without shell access or downtime. Always validate rules in a staging environment first, because a single misplaced directive may block assets or create redirect loops that break live traffic.

Technical Details:

Apache’s per-directory override mechanism evaluates .htaccess files sequentially whenever a matching request arrives. Installed modules such as mod_rewrite, mod_headers, mod_expires, and mod_deflate parse their own directive namespaces, apply the earliest matching rule, and may stop further processing when flags like [L] or [F] appear. Because files are inherited down the path tree, directives cascade unless overridden, so explicit conditions, anchors, and mutually exclusive blocks prevent conflicts in shared hosting environments.

Logical Sequence:

1. User selects section templates and parameters.
2. The reactive engine renders each template into plain directives.
3. Sections are concatenated in visual order.
4. Optional comment lines are removed when toggled.
5. The final text is delivered for copy or download.

Section Effects:

Worked Example:

Assumptions & Limitations:

• Server must allow Overrides in the target directory.
• Module directives fail if the module is absent.
• Rule evaluation order follows file sequence exactly.
• Unicode hostnames require punycode encoding.

Edge Cases & Error Sources:

• Redirect loops from conflicting HTTPS and host directives.
• CIDR ranges blocking internal load-balancer IPs.
• MIME mismatches causing double compression.
• Security headers repeating in upstream configuration.

Scientific Validity & References:

Directive behaviours are defined in the Apache HTTP Server documentation, RFC 3986 (URI syntax), and Mozilla’s HTTP Observatory security guidelines.

Privacy & Compliance:

No data leaves your browser; the generator adheres to GDPR data-minimisation principles.

Step-by-Step Guide:

Follow these steps to assemble and export your .htaccess file.

1. Choose Add section and select a template.
2. Configure options such as cache days or redirect mode.
3. Drag the handles to reorder sections logically.
4. Uncheck Include comments for a compact file.
5. Click Copy or Download to obtain the file.

FAQ:

Glossary:

.htaccess

Per-directory Apache configuration file.

Directive

Single instruction parsed by a server module.

mod_rewrite

Module handling URL rewriting.

Cache-Control

Header defining client caching policy.

Brotli

Modern compression algorithm improving Gzip.