What is .htaccess?
'''.htaccess''' is a type of [[computer]] file for the configuring of some [[server|web servers]]. .htaccess files can be used to create custom [[error]] pages, or to prevent visitors from directly linking [[picture]]s, also known as [[hotlinking|hot-linking]] to their own sites, costing the website owner bandwidth and therefore money.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-11-02|title=htaccess|url=https://wordpress.org/support/article/htaccess/|access-date=2021-12-29|website=WordPress.org Forums|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Apache Configuration: .htaccess - Learn web development {{!}} MDN|url=https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/Server-side/Apache_Configuration_htaccess|access-date=2021-12-29|website=developer.mozilla.org|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=How to Edit Your .htaccess File {{!}} HostGator Support|url=https://www.hostgator.com/help/article/how-to-edit-your-htaccess-file|access-date=2021-12-29|website=www.hostgator.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Password protecting your site with an htaccess file |url=https://help.dreamhost.com/hc/en-us/articles/216363187-Password-protecting-your-site-with-an-htaccess-file |access-date=2021-12-29 |archive-date=2021-12-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229185905/https://help.dreamhost.com/hc/en-us/articles/216363187-Password-protecting-your-site-with-an-htaccess-file |url-status=dead }}</ref> == Preventing direct or Hot-linking == A .htaccess file is put onto the [[website]], so that people will not be [[wikt:able|able]] to go onto the [[Uniform Resource Locator|URL]] of the image (picture) (example: <nowiki>www.website.com/image.filetype</nowiki>). Owners can replace this [[picture]], after they [[download|upload]] the file, with a [[:wikt:message|message]], or it can be made to [[URL redirection|redirect]] to an [[error]] page. == Examples of .htaccess being used == === MediaWiki === By default, [[MediaWiki]] uses <nowiki>http://www.example.org/index.php/Main_Page</nowiki> type of URL to display the main page. But by changing