Apache web server configuration

Hostvento Hosting packages run on the Apache web server. Get solutions and answers to your Apache configuration questions here.

Using .htaccess files

This article discusses what .htaccess files are, how to protect them, and how you can use them to customize the web server’s configuration for your web site.

Default directory index page

The DirectoryIndex directive in an .htaccess file specifies the default page to display when a visitor requests a directory on your web site. Learn how to set this directive here.

Directory index listings

This article covers how you can enable directory index listings for directories on your web site that do not have a default directory index page, as well as how to disable directory index listings. Learn how here.

Data compression using the mod_deflate module

You can use data compression to reduce page load times and the amount of bandwidth your site uses. Learn how to use the Apache mod_deflate module in this article. This article covers how to enable data compression on cPanel (managed) hosting accounts and unmanaged hosting accounts, as well as how to determine if compression is enabled.

‘403 Forbidden’ error message

Learn how to resolve a “403 Forbidden” error message that may occur when users try to visit your web site. The site’s error logs may indicate that the web server cannot access the .htaccess file, or you may be missing an index page. This article covers what could be causing the error, and how to resolve the situation.

Pathname information and the AcceptPathInfo directive

Some software packages use URLs with trailing pathname information. This article covers how you can enable support for pathname information in URLs, and how to enable and disable the AcceptPathInfo Apache directive in an .htaccess file.

Troubleshooting CGI scripts

Do you have a CGI script that isn’t working? This article shows several steps you can take to get that script running, both from the command line and cPanel.

Changing the document root directory

By default, a shared hosting account’s document root directory for the primary domain is the public_html directory. This article describes how to point the primary domain’s document root to a different directory using two different methods.

Adding or removing the www prefix in domain URLs

You can configure your web site to automatically add or remove the www prefix from URLs, and this article shows you how to do both.

Viewing Apache log files

If you have a dedicated server, VPS, or Cloud VPS, you can view the raw Apache Access and Error log files for your web server. Learn more about these files here.

Rewriting URLs with the mod_rewrite module

You can use Apache’s URL rewrite functionality, mod_rewrite, for a number of scenarios, such as improving URL readability and enhancing search engine friendliness. This article provides an introduction to using mod_rewrite.

Using Server-Side Includes (SSI)

You can use Apache Server-Side Includes (SSI) to generate dynamic page content and more. This article covers how to enable SSI, and provides several examples of its usage.

Using the mod_speling Apache module

There are certain scenarios where filenames may have different cases. For example, if you are migrating a site from Microsoft Windows, you may experience problems with filename case sensitivity. This article explains how to use Apache’s mod_speling module to work around these issues. Please note that this article only applies to unmanaged products.

Modifying HTTP headers

You can use .htaccess directives to modify the HTTP headers Apache sends to a client. This article provides examples of how to add, edit, and remove an HTTP header.

Configuring caching with the mod_expires module

You can use Apache’s document expiration functionality to control caching behavior and help improve site performance. This article provides an example .htaccess file configuration that you can use in your own sites.

Disabling entity tags (ETags)

Learn how to prevent your website from sending entity tags (ETags) in the HTTP headers and how to disable them in this article.

Using keep-alive connections to improve performance

Keep-alive connections can help improve site performance, and this article shows you how to enable them.

Controlling site access by country

There may be times when you want to allow or block access to your site based on a visitor’s country. This article shows you how to use rules in an .htaccess file to grant access based on geographic region.

Turning off caching using .htaccess

Caching enhances the performance of your site but sometimes you need to turn it off. This article shows you how.

Installing Apache Tomcat

This guide walks you through how to install Apache Tomcat.

Code to protect web directories in .htaccess

Learn how to use the .htaccess file to prevent unauthorised access to web main and subdirectories. This article will demonstrate how to protect directories using a code snippet in the .htaccess file.