What is .htaccess?
Complete Configuration Guide for DirectAdmin Hosting

What is .htaccess?

The .htaccess file (Hypertext Access) is a directory-level configuration file for Apache HTTP Server. It lets you control web server behavior without editing the main httpd.conf config file, which requires root access.

On AsiaGB DirectAdmin Hosting, Apache is configured with AllowOverride All enabled by default, meaning .htaccess works immediately for every site — no support ticket needed.

Why use .htaccess?

.htaccess handles tasks that can't be done through PHP or HTML alone:

Task	.htaccess Directive	Why use .htaccess
Redirect old → new URL	RewriteRule / Redirect	Server-level, runs before PHP
Force HTTPS	RewriteRule HTTPS	Secure, no code changes needed
Password-protect a directory	AuthType Basic	Faster than PHP session auth
Custom 404/500 error pages	ErrorDocument	Applies to all URLs consistently
Block IP or User-Agent	Deny from	Blocks before PHP processes request
Set Cache-Control headers	Header set	Controls browser caching precisely

Create & Edit .htaccess on DirectAdmin

There are two main ways to create or edit .htaccess:

Method 1 — Via DirectAdmin File Manager

1. Log in to DirectAdmin → select File Manager
2. Navigate to public_html/
3. Click "New File" → name it .htaccess (with a leading dot)
4. Click Edit, paste your directives → Save

Method 2 — Via FTP

1. Open your FTP client (e.g. FileZilla) → connect with credentials from DirectAdmin
2. Navigate to public_html/
3. Create .htaccess locally and upload it to the server

URL Redirects with .htaccess

URL redirecting is the most common .htaccess use case — especially for domain migrations, HTTPS enforcement and www/non-www canonicalization.

Force HTTPS (HTTP → HTTPS Redirect)

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

Single Page Redirect (301 Permanent)

Redirect 301 /old-page.html https://yourdomain.com/new-page.html

Redirect www → non-www

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.(.+)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^ https://%1%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]

Custom 404 Error Page

ErrorDocument 404 /404.html

Password Protection — Lock a Directory

To restrict access to directories like /admin or /staging with a username and password:

Step 1 — Create .htpasswd file

Create the .htpasswd file outside public_html, e.g. at /home/username/.htpasswd, using an online htpasswd generator or DirectAdmin Terminal:

htpasswd -c /home/username/.htpasswd myusername

Step 2 — Add to .htaccess in the directory to protect

AuthType Basic
AuthName "Protected Area"
AuthUserFile /home/username/.htpasswd
Require valid-user

Custom Error Pages

Instead of showing Apache's plain error pages, create friendly branded pages:

ErrorDocument 404 /404.html
ErrorDocument 403 /403.html
ErrorDocument 500 /500.html

Create 404.html in your website root (public_html/404.html) with navigation links and a search form to reduce bounce rate.

IP Blocking & Access Control

If your site is being spammed or attacked from specific IPs, block them via .htaccess:

Block specific IPs

Order allow,deny
Allow from all
Deny from 123.456.789.0
Deny from 192.168.1.0/24

Block bad bots by User-Agent

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} (BadBot|EvilScraper|SpamBot) [NC]
RewriteRule .* - [F,L]

Block direct access to sensitive files

<FilesMatch "\.(env|log|sql|bak)$">
  Order allow,deny
  Deny from all
</FilesMatch>

.htaccess and SEO

.htaccess has direct SEO impact across four key areas:

Setting	SEO Impact
301 Redirect	Transfers link equity to new URL, prevents duplicate content
HTTPS Redirect	Google gives ranking preference to HTTPS; builds trust
Custom 404 Page	Reduces bounce rate; Google sees proper 404 response code
Cache Headers	Faster load = better Core Web Vitals = higher rankings

Example: Canonical URL Enforcement (www → non-www + HTTPS)

RewriteEngine On
# Redirect www to non-www
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.(.+)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^ https://%1%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]
# Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

Cache & Compression Settings

Fast-loading websites rank better and convert better. Browser caching and Gzip compression via .htaccess make a significant difference:

Browser Caching with mod_expires

<IfModule mod_expires.c>
  ExpiresActive On
  ExpiresByType image/jpg "access plus 1 year"
  ExpiresByType image/jpeg "access plus 1 year"
  ExpiresByType image/webp "access plus 1 year"
  ExpiresByType image/png "access plus 1 year"
  ExpiresByType text/css "access plus 1 month"
  ExpiresByType application/javascript "access plus 1 month"
  ExpiresByType text/html "access plus 1 hour"
</IfModule>

Gzip Compression with mod_deflate

<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
  AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/plain text/css
  AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/javascript application/json
  AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE image/svg+xml
</IfModule>

Frequently Asked Questions

Summary — Start Using .htaccess on DirectAdmin Today

.htaccess is one of the most powerful tools available to every hosting account. From redirecting old URLs after a domain change, enforcing HTTPS, password-protecting sensitive directories, to boosting site speed with cache headers — it handles all of this at the server level.

On AsiaGB DirectAdmin Hosting, mod_rewrite and mod_expires are enabled by default, so every .htaccess directive works immediately without any additional configuration.

Looking for hosting with full .htaccess support and an easy-to-use DirectAdmin panel? AsiaGB plans start at 500 THB/month with SSD storage and 99% Uptime.