What Is .htaccess?

Why It Matters

.htaccess is one of the most common ways to set up redirects on traditional web hosting. It’s powerful but requires Apache hosting and technical knowledge. Understanding .htaccess helps when migrating from self-managed redirects to a dedicated service.

Common .htaccess Redirect Rules

Simple domain redirect

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^old-domain\.com [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://new-domain.com/$1 [R=301,L]

Force HTTPS

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]

Redirect single page

Redirect 301 /old-page https://example.com/new-page

.htaccess vs Domain Forward

For a detailed comparison, see our .htaccess vs Domain Forward page.

Feature	.htaccess	Domain Forward
Requires hosting	Yes (Apache)	No
HTTPS support	Requires separate SSL certificate setup	Automatic
Configuration	Regex syntax in text files	Dashboard
Path forwarding	Yes (RewriteRule)	Yes (built-in)
Wildcard redirects	Yes (RewriteCond)	Yes (built-in)
Maintenance	You manage server	Managed
Performance	Depends on hosting	<5ms latency

When to Use .htaccess vs Domain Forward

• Use .htaccess when you already have Apache hosting and need complex URL rewriting alongside an active website
• Use Domain Forward when you need simple domain forwarding without maintaining a server, or when your domain isn’t hosted anywhere