.htaccess in DirectAdmin hosting

.htaccess is a configuration file that controls how Apache handles requests in the directory it is placed in. DirectAdmin hosting uses Apache, so .htaccess is fully supported. Changes take effect immediately-no restart needed.

What is .htaccess?

The .htaccess file sits in your public_html/ directory (or any subdirectory). Rules placed in it affect that folder and all subfolders unless overridden. Common uses:

• URL redirects (301 permanent, 302 temporary)
• Force HTTPS for all traffic
• Override PHP settings (memory limit, upload size)
• Password-protect a directory
• Block specific IPs or user agents
• Custom 404 and 500 error pages

WordPress uses .htaccess for its permalink routing. Do not delete the WordPress-generated section.

Edit .htaccess in DirectAdmin

1. Log in to DirectAdmin and open File Manager
2. Navigate to domains/yourdomain.com/public_html/
3. The .htaccess file starts with a dot-enable "Show Hidden Files" if it is not visible
4. Click the file to edit it, make your changes, and click Save

Redirects

301 permanent redirect (old URL to new URL):

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

Redirect non-www to www:

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

Force HTTPS

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

PHP settings via .htaccess

These directives work when PHP runs as an Apache module or suPHP. They may be ignored on FastCGI/PHP-FPM setups:

php_value memory_limit 256M
php_value upload_max_filesize 64M
php_value post_max_size 64M
php_value max_execution_time 120

Password protect a directory

Create a .htpasswd file first (use an online bcrypt generator or ask support). Then add to .htaccess:

AuthType Basic
AuthName "Restricted Area"
AuthUserFile /home/username/domains/yourdomain.com/.htpasswd
Require valid-user

Replace the path with the full server path to your .htpasswd file.

Custom error pages

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

Create the HTML files at those paths in public_html/. This gives visitors a branded error page instead of the server default.

Related: DirectAdmin File Manager | DirectAdmin security | .htaccess guide | 403 Forbidden error

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