.htaccess Generator

Build .htaccess rules visually and download the file.

Force HTTPS redirect

www handling

Custom 301 Redirect

Enable browser caching

Enable Gzip compression

Prevent directory listing

Block known bad bots

Custom 404 page

Custom 500 page

Generated .htaccess

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

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

# Prevent directory listing
Options -Indexes

# Custom error pages
ErrorDocument 404 /404.html

About this tool

Generate Apache .htaccess rules visually - 301 redirects, HTTPS enforcement, www to non-www (or vice versa), custom 404 pages, password protection, caching headers, CORS, hotlink protection, and GZIP compression. No Apache syntax knowledge required. Copy the generated .htaccess rules directly into your server config.

How to Generate .htaccess Rules

1Select the rules you need from the checklist (HTTPS, redirects, cache, etc.).
2Configure options for each rule (e.g. redirect source and destination URLs).
3Preview the generated .htaccess code.
4Copy it and add to your existing .htaccess file or create a new one.
5Test your rules with an online .htaccess tester or curl -I to check response headers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a .htaccess file?+

.htaccess is an Apache web server configuration file placed in a directory. It controls URL redirects, access restrictions, MIME types, compression, caching, and more - without requiring access to the main server config.

How do I force HTTPS in .htaccess?+

Use RewriteEngine On with a condition checking that HTTPS is off, then redirect with a 301. This tool generates the exact code with a single toggle - no Apache syntax knowledge required.

How do I create a 301 redirect in .htaccess?+

Use the Redirect 301 directive for simple path redirects. For regex-based redirects use RewriteRule with the R=301 flag. This tool generates both patterns visually.

Does .htaccess slow down my website?+

.htaccess files are read on every request, adding marginal overhead. For high-traffic sites, move rules to the main Apache config (httpd.conf) which is parsed once at startup. For most sites, the performance impact is negligible.

Looking for a deeper guide on this topic? Browse the Searchlight blog.

Visit the blog →

Related tools

View all Generators →