Website Articles - Apache, .htaccess, PHP and Search Engines

Website Articles

These articles come from running this site and others like it on Apache, first under XAMPP on Windows for development and then on a Linux host. Each one solves a single problem we hit, shows the exact .htaccess or PHP involved, and says what to watch out for. They apply to any site on Apache, whatever language it is written in.

Apache and .htaccess

Things Apache can do for you before a line of PHP runs: access control, error pages and status codes, all from the .htaccess file in the folder concerned.

• Protect directories with XAMPP / Apache
  Password-protect directories on XAMPP / Apache using .htaccess on Windows.
• How to Have Custom Error Pages on XAMPP / Apache
  Set up custom error pages on XAMPP / Apache for Windows and Linux using .htaccess.
• How to Generate HTTP Errors with htaccess
  Return 410 Gone, 403 Forbidden and other status codes from .htaccess, and when each one is the right choice for SEO.

PHP

Protecting what the server holds: form handlers against spam, download files against hotlinking and include files against prying eyes.

• How to Stop Spam on your Contact Form
  Techniques to stop contact form spam that work whatever language the site is written in.
• How to Hide Download Links with PHP
  Protect downloadable files from hotlinking by hiding direct links with PHP, cookies and .htaccess.
• How to Protect a PHP Library Folder
  Stop visitors listing or opening PHP include files, using .htaccess, folder permissions or a library outside the web root.
• PBS FAQ - A Lean PHP and MySQL FAQ System
  A free FAQ and knowledge base in plain PHP and MySQL, with live search, a Markdown editor, single sign-on and import from phpMyFAQ. Full source to download.

Search engines

Keeping the pages you do not want indexed out of Google and Bing without blocking the ones you do.

• How to Keep Pages Out of Search Engines
  Hide thank-you, download and admin pages from Google and Bing with noindex, X-Robots-Tag and the right use of robots.txt.

Related

Our in-house internet tools include an SSL certificate checker and a password generator, and the developer links collect other people's tools for checking a website, securing it and designing it.

How-Tos for Apache, .htaccess, PHP and Search Engines