The .htaccess file is a powerful configuration file used on web servers running the Apache Web Server software. It allows you to control many aspects of your website's behavior. Here are some common and useful configurations you can achieve with an .htaccess file:

1. Redirects

301 Redirect (Permanent)

Redirect 301 /old-page.html http://www.example.com/new-page.html

302 Redirect (Temporary)

Redirect 302 /old-page.html http://www.example.com/new-page.html

Redirect Entire Site to a New Domain

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^old-domain.com [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www.old-domain.com [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://new-domain.com/$1 [L,R=301,NC]

2. Rewriting URLs

Enable URL Rewriting

RewriteEngine On

Simple Rewrite Rule

RewriteRule ^old-page.html$ new-page.html [L,R=301]

Rewrite with Query Strings

RewriteRule ^products/([0-9]+)/?$ product-details.php?id=$1 [L]

3. Security

Deny Access to .htaccess

<Files .htaccess>
    Order allow,deny
    Deny from all
</Files>

Block Visitors by IP Address

Order Deny,Allow
Deny from 123.456.789.000
Allow from all

Password Protection

AuthType Basic
AuthName "Restricted Area"
AuthUserFile /path/to/.htpasswd
Require valid-user

Create the .htpasswd file using the htpasswd utility.

4. Custom Error Pages

Custom Error Documents

ErrorDocument 404 /errors/404.html
ErrorDocument 500 /errors/500.html

5. Directory Indexes

Specify Custom Directory Index

DirectoryIndex index.html index.php

Disable Directory Listing

Options -Indexes

6. Caching

Enable Browser Caching

<IfModule mod_expires.c>
    ExpiresActive On
    ExpiresByType image/jpg "access 1 year"
    ExpiresByType image/jpeg "access 1 year"
    ExpiresByType image/gif "access 1 year"
    ExpiresByType image/png "access 1 year"
    ExpiresByType text/css "access 1 month"
    ExpiresByType application/pdf "access 1 month"
    ExpiresByType text/x-javascript "access 1 month"
    ExpiresByType application/x-shockwave-flash "access 1 month"
    ExpiresByType image/x-icon "access 1 year"
    ExpiresDefault "access 2 days"
</IfModule>

7. Gzip Compression

Enable Gzip Compression

<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/plain text/xml text/css text/javascript application/javascript application/x-javascript application/json
</IfModule>

8. Set MIME Types

Add MIME Types

AddType application/x-httpd-php .html .htm
AddType video/mp4 .mp4

9. Hotlink Protection

Prevent Hotlinking

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^$
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http(s)?://(www\.)?yourdomain.com [NC]
RewriteRule \.(jpg|jpeg|png|gif)$ - [F]

10. Force HTTPS

Redirect HTTP to HTTPS

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

Putting it All Together

You can combine multiple configurations in a single .htaccess file. Just be sure to test your .htaccess file thoroughly, as incorrect configurations can lead to server errors.

Example file: htaccess example file.zip