.htaccess Generator
Generate Apache .htaccess rules for redirects and security.
# Generated by ToolHQ .htaccess Generator
Options -Indexes
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
# Force HTTPS
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
</IfModule>
# Enable Gzip compression
<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/css application/javascript
</IfModule>
# Browser caching
<IfModule mod_expires.c>
ExpiresActive On
ExpiresByType image/jpeg "access plus 1 year"
ExpiresByType text/css "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType application/javascript "access plus 1 month"
</IfModule>How to use .htaccess Generator
Select Your .htaccess Rule Type
Click the 'Rule Type' dropdown menu at the top of the interface and choose from Redirects, Security Headers, URL Rewriting, or Cache Control. Each option displays specific configuration options below.
Configure Your Rule Parameters
Enter your settings in the input fields. For redirects, paste your source URL in the 'From URL' field and destination in the 'To URL' field. For security, toggle options like 'Block Access', 'Force HTTPS', or 'Disable Directory Listing' using the checkbox controls.
Customize Advanced Options
Click 'Advanced Settings' to add response codes (301, 302, 307), specify redirect conditions, or set expiration headers. Use the checkboxes to enable RewriteCond rules for conditional redirects.
Generate Your .htaccess Code
Press the blue 'Generate .htaccess' button. Your Apache configuration code appears in the code editor panel on the right side of the screen.
Copy and Deploy Your Code
Click the 'Copy Code' button to copy all generated rules to your clipboard. Paste the code into your .htaccess file in your website's root directory using FTP or your hosting control panel's file manager.
How to Use .htaccess Generator Online — Free Guide (2026)
.htaccess files control how Apache web servers handle your website traffic, security, and URLs. Without proper configuration, you can lose SEO rankings from duplicate content, have security vulnerabilities, or experience slow page loads. This guide shows you exactly how to generate production-ready .htaccess rules in minutes using the free online .htaccess Generator.
What Is a .htaccess File?
A .htaccess file is a configuration file that sits in your website's root directory and tells Apache how to behave. It handles URL redirects, forces HTTPS connections, blocks malicious traffic, enables gzip compression, and rewrites URLs to remove file extensions. You don't need to restart your server when you modify .htaccess — changes take effect immediately.
Why Use .htaccess Generator Instead of Writing Manually
Writing .htaccess rules requires knowledge of Apache mod_rewrite syntax, regex patterns, and conditional logic. One syntax error crashes your entire website with a 500 error. The .htaccess Generator eliminates these risks by validating your code and generating syntactically correct rules every time. It saves 30-45 minutes of manual coding per rule set.
Step-by-Step: Generating Your First Redirect Rule
Start by selecting your rule type from the dropdown. For most websites, URL redirects are the priority — redirecting old pages to new ones preserves SEO value. Click 'Redirects' and enter your source URL (the old page) and destination URL (the new page). Select status code 301 for permanent redirects, which tells Google to transfer ranking power to the new page. Click 'Generate .htaccess' and copy the code to your clipboard. Upload it to your root directory via FTP or file manager.
Generating Security Rules to Protect Your Site
Select 'Security Rules' to block common attacks. Check 'Force HTTPS' to encrypt all traffic — Google ranks HTTPS sites higher and visitors trust the padlock icon. Toggle 'Disable Directory Listing' to prevent hackers from viewing your file structure. Enable 'Block Hotlinking' to stop other websites from embedding your images, which drains your bandwidth. These rules take 90 seconds to generate and deploy.
Creating Clean URLs with URL Rewriting
If your website runs on query parameters like "example.com/?page=about", you can rewrite these to clean URLs like "example.com/about". Select the 'URL Rewriting' rule type, enter your parameter name and desired URL structure, and the generator builds the RewriteCond and RewriteRule statements automatically. This improves user experience and SEO, as Google prefers readable URLs.
Optimizing Performance with Cache Control Rules
Browser caching stores static files like images, CSS, and JavaScript on visitor devices, reducing server load by 40-60%. The 'Cache Control' rule type lets you set expiration headers — images can cache for 1 year, CSS for 1 month, and HTML for 1 day. Enable gzip compression to shrink file sizes by 60-70%. These settings dramatically improve Core Web Vitals scores and reduce bounce rates.
Best Practices When Deploying .htaccess Rules
Always backup your existing .htaccess file before uploading changes. Test rules on a staging environment first — a single syntax error creates a 500 error that locks customers out. Start with one rule at a time rather than pasting everything simultaneously, so you can identify which rule breaks your site. Monitor your error logs for 24 hours after deployment. Never combine conflicting rules, like redirecting a URL and also rewriting it — choose one approach.
Common .htaccess Rules You'll Generate Frequently
Redirect www to non-www (or vice versa) to avoid duplicate content. Redirect old domain names after site migrations. Block bad bots that waste server resources. Require authentication on admin directories. Set timezone and memory limits. Enable mod_rewrite for dynamic content. Each of these is one click in the generator.
Troubleshooting .htaccess Errors
If you see a 500 Internal Server Error after uploading, your hosting provider may not have mod_rewrite enabled. Contact support to enable it. If redirects aren't working, verify the file is named exactly ".htaccess" (not ".htaccess.txt") and is in your root directory. Check that relative paths match your actual file structure. Use the generator's syntax validator to confirm your code before upload.
Conclusion
The .htaccess Generator eliminates guesswork from Apache configuration. You get production-ready code in seconds instead of hours of manual syntax work. Whether you need redirects for SEO, security rules for protection, or cache settings for performance, this tool generates correct code every time. Start generating your first rule now — it's free, requires no registration, and takes less than 2 minutes. Your website's speed, security, and search rankings will improve immediately.