Generate Apache .htaccess rules for redirects, security, caching, and more
The .htaccess (Hypertext Access) file is a powerful per-directory configuration file used by the Apache HTTP Server. It allows you to override server configuration on a per-directory basis without modifying the main server configuration files or restarting Apache. The file is read by Apache on every request to the directory in which it resides, making it an essential tool for shared hosting environments where you don't have access to the main httpd.conf or apache2.conf.
HTTPS and URL redirects: One of the most common uses of .htaccess is forcing HTTPS connections and canonicalizing URLs (with or without www). These redirects use Apache's mod_rewrite module to match incoming requests and issue 301 (permanent) redirects. This is critical for SEO, as search engines penalize sites with duplicate content across HTTP and HTTPS versions.
Security headers: Modern web security best practices require setting HTTP response headers like X-Frame-Options (preventing clickjacking), X-Content-Type-Options (preventing MIME sniffing), HSTS (forcing HTTPS for future visits), and Referrer-Policy. These headers can be set via mod_headers in .htaccess, providing defense-in-depth against common web attacks.
Performance optimization: Browser caching via mod_expires tells visitors' browsers how long to cache static assets like images, CSS, and JavaScript. Gzip compression via mod_deflate reduces file sizes by 60-80% during transfer, dramatically improving page load times and reducing bandwidth costs.
Select the options you need, add custom redirects, and the tool will generate a complete .htaccess file in real time. You can download the file directly or copy the contents to your clipboard. Upload the file to the root directory of your website (usually public_html or htdocs). Always back up your existing .htaccess file before replacing it, and test your site thoroughly after making changes — a misconfigured .htaccess can cause 500 Internal Server Errors.