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<h3>Apache HTTP Server Version 1.3</h3>
<p><small><em>Is this the version you want? For more recent
versions, check our <a href="/docs/">documentation
index</a>.</em></small></p>
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<h1 align="CENTER">Configuration Files</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#main">Main Configuration Files</a></li>
<li><a href="#syntax">Syntax of the Configuration
Files</a></li>
<li><a href="#modules">Modules</a></li>
<li><a href="#scope">Scope of Directives</a></li>
<li><a href="#htaccess">.htaccess Files</a></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2><a id="main" name="main">Main Configuration Files</a></h2>
<table border="1">
<tr>
<td valign="top"><strong>Related Modules</strong><br />
<br />
<a href="mod/mod_mime.html">mod_mime</a><br />
</td>
<td valign="top"><strong>Related Directives</strong><br />
<br />
<a
href="mod/core.html#accessconfig">AccessConfig</a><br />
<a
href="mod/core.html#ifdefine"><IfDefine></a><br />
<a href="mod/core.html#include">Include</a><br />
<a
href="mod/core.html#resourceconfig">ResourceConfig</a><br />
<a
href="mod/mod_mime.html#typesconfig">TypesConfig</a><br />
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>Apache is configured by placing <a
href="mod/directives.html">directives</a> in plain text
configuration files. The main configuration file is usually
called <code>httpd.conf</code>. The location of this file is
set at compile-time, but may be overridden with the
<code>-f</code> command line flag. Some sites also have
<code>srm.conf</code> and <code>access.conf</code> files for <a
href="http://httpd.apache.org/info/three-config-files.html">historical
reasons</a>. In addition, other configuration files may be
added using the <code><a
href="mod/core.html#include">Include</a></code> directive. Any
directive may be placed in any of these configuration files.
Changes to the main configuration files are only recognized by
Apache when it is started or restarted.</p>
<p>New with Apache 1.3.13 is a feature where if any
configuration file is actually a directory, Apache will enter
that directory and parse any files (and subdirectories) found
there as configuration files. One possible use for this would
be to add VirtualHosts by creating small configuration files
for each host, and placing them in such a configuration
directory. Thus, you can add or remove VirtualHosts without
editing any files at all, simply adding or deleting them. This
makes automating such processes much easier.</p>
<p>The server also reads a file containing mime document types;
the filename is set by the <a
href="mod/mod_mime.html#typesconfig">TypesConfig</a> directive,
and is <code>mime.types</code> by default.</p>
<hr />
<h2><a id="syntax" name="syntax">Syntax of the Configuration
Files</a></h2>
<p>Apache configuration files contain one directive per line.
The back-slash "\" may be used as the last character on a line
to indicate that the directive continues onto the next line.
There must be no other characters or white space between the
back-slash and the end of the line.</p>
<p>Directives in the configuration files are case-insensitive,
but arguments to directives are often case sensitive. Lines
which begin with the hash character "#" are considered
comments, and are ignored. Comments may <strong>not</strong> be
included on a line after a configuration directive. Blank lines
and white space occurring before a directive are ignored, so
you may indent directives for clarity.</p>
<p>You can check your configuration files for syntax errors
without starting the server by using <code>apachectl
configtest</code> or the <code>-t</code> command line
option.</p>
<hr />
<h2><a id="modules" name="modules">Modules</a></h2>
<table border="1">
<tr>
<td valign="top"><strong>Related Modules</strong><br />
<br />
<a href="mod/mod_so.html">mod_so</a><br />
</td>
<td valign="top"><strong>Related Directives</strong><br />
<br />
<a href="mod/core.html#addmodule">AddModule</a><br />
<a
href="mod/core.html#clearmodulelist">ClearModuleList</a><br />
<a
href="mod/core.html#ifmodule"><IfModule></a><br />
<a href="mod/mod_so.html#loadmodule">LoadModule</a><br />
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>Apache is a modular server. This implies that only the most
basic functionality is included in the core server. Extended
features are available through <a
href="mod/index-bytype.html">modules</a> which can be loaded
into Apache. By default, a <a
href="mod/module-dict.html#Status">base</a> set of modules is
included in the server at compile-time. If the server is
compiled to use <a href="dso.html">dynamically loaded</a>
modules, then modules can be compiled separately and added at
any time using the <a
href="mod/mod_so.html#loadmodule">LoadModule</a> directive.
Otherwise, Apache must be recompiled to add or remove modules.
Configuration directives may be included conditional on a
presence of a particular module by enclosing them in an <a
href="mod/core.html#ifmodule"><IfModule></a> block.</p>
<p>To see which modules are currently compiled into the server,
you can use the <code>-l</code> command line option.</p>
<hr />
<h2><a id="scope" name="scope">Scope of Directives</a></h2>
<table border="1">
<tr>
<td valign="top"><strong>Related Directives</strong><br />
<br />
<a
href="mod/core.html#directory"><Directory></a><br />
<a
href="mod/core.html#directorymatch"><DirectoryMatch></a><br />
<a href="mod/core.html#files"><Files></a><br />
<a
href="mod/core.html#filesmatch"><FilesMatch></a><br />
<a
href="mod/core.html#location"><Location></a><br />
<a
href="mod/core.html#locationmatch"><LocationMatch></a><br />
<a
href="mod/core.html#virtualhost"><VirtualHost></a><br />
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>Directives placed in the main configuration files apply to
the entire server. If you wish to change the configuration for
only a part of the server, you can scope your directives by
placing them in <code><a
href="mod/core.html#directory"><Directory></a>, <a
href="mod/core.html#directorymatch"><DirectoryMatch></a>,
<a href="mod/core.html#files"><Files></a>, <a
href="mod/core.html#filesmatch"><FilesMatch></a>, <a
href="mod/core.html#location"><Location></a>,</code> and
<code><a
href="mod/core.html#locationmatch"><LocationMatch></a></code>
sections. These sections limit the application of the
directives which they enclose to particular filesystem
locations or URLs. They can also be nested, allowing for very
fine grained configuration.</p>
<p>Apache has the capability to serve many different websites
simultaneously. This is called <a href="vhosts/">Virtual
Hosting</a>. Directives can also be scoped by placing them
inside <code><a
href="mod/core.html#virtualhost"><VirtualHost></a></code>
sections, so that they will only apply to requests for a
particular website.</p>
<p>Although most directives can be placed in any of these
sections, some directives do not make sense in some contexts.
For example, directives controlling process creation can only
be placed in the main server context. To find which directives
can be placed in which sections, check the <a
href="mod/directive-dict.html#Context">Context</a> of the
directive. For further information, we provide details on <a
href="sections.html">How Directory, Location and Files sections
work</a>.</p>
<hr />
<h2><a id="htaccess" name="htaccess">.htaccess Files</a></h2>
<table border="1">
<tr>
<td valign="top"><strong>Related Directives</strong><br />
<br />
<a
href="mod/core.html#accessfilename">AccessFileName</a><br />
<a
href="mod/core.html#allowoverride">AllowOverride</a><br />
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>Apache allows for decentralized management of configuration
via special files placed inside the web tree. The special files
are usually called <code>.htaccess</code>, but any name can be
specified in the <a
href="mod/core.html#accessfilename"><code>AccessFileName</code></a>
directive. Directives placed in <code>.htaccess</code> files
apply to the directory where you place the file, and all
sub-directories. The <code>.htaccess</code> files follow the
same syntax as the main configuration files. Since
<code>.htaccess</code> files are read on every request, changes
made in these files take immediate effect.</p>
<p>To find which directives can be placed in
<code>.htaccess</code> files, check the <a
href="mod/directive-dict.html#Context">Context</a> of the
directive. The server administrator further controls what
directives may be placed in <code>.htaccess</code> files by
configuring the <a
href="mod/core.html#allowoverride"><code>AllowOverride</code></a>
directive in the main configuration files.</p>
<p>For more information on <code>.htaccess</code> files, see
Ken Coar's tutorial on <a
href="http://apache-server.com/tutorials/ATusing-htaccess.html">
Using .htaccess Files with Apache</a>, or the <a
href="http://httpd.apache.org/docs/howto/htaccess.html">.htaccess
tutorial</a> in the Apache docs.</p>
<hr />
<h3 align="CENTER">Apache HTTP Server</h3>
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