TERM OF THE DAY: htaccess

TERM OF THE DAY: htaccess
A Web server configuration file that contains commands known by the server that tell the server how to behave in certain instances. Some of the most common uses of an htaccess file include the capability to restrict access to certain files or directories on the Internet (or intranet) through password protection.

Additionally htaccess is used to automatically redirect users, ban or allow certain IP addresses access to the server, and to call a custom designed 404 error Web rather than the standard error 404 file that usually appears in your browser.

Apache Web servers, and other NCSA compliant Web servers can use htaccess.