Password Protecting Websites or Directories: The HTAccess Authentication Tutorial on using a .htaccess file to require a username and password to access a directory structure.

The HTAccess Authentication/Password Protection is a FREE service provided by OfficeOnWeb. Much of the activities should be self evident. You can enter multiple user controlled access and directory access without detailed knowledge through your control panel for your site. (All you need is to be an OfficeOnWeb client.)

For those interested, this tutorial covers further details regarding web-based user authentication using a .htaccess file. Web-based authentication denies unauthorized web access to visitors who do not give a valid user name and password. This password protection feature allows web master to restrict access to certain directories. The usernames and encrypted passwords are kept in a webmaster-maintained file. This is not the same as ordering another FTP only Account. Your visitors do not need to have a OfficeOnWeb Account to use the password protected Web-based access specified-- the mechanisms are separate and unique.

You will need the following basic skills:

Authentication Dialog Box image for HTACCESS AUTHENTICATION TUTORIAL teaching how to use a .htaccess file to password protect a directory. The .htaccess file affects the directory in which it is created, so in this example, any visitor requesting:
<URL:http://somewhere.com/somepath/> would be presented with an authentication request such at the one shown to the right. Note that the query words are a combination of the htpasswd program and the .htaccess AuthName declaration you specify in the control panel.

The .htaccess file control access much better than FrontPage or other programs attempts. We recommend you use it in place of all other modes of controlled access. Please recognize that the .htaccess file also affects directories recursively below it. Remember, requesting a controlled access to <URL:http://somewhere.com/somepath/evenmore/> would yield the same authentication request unless ~/somepath/evenmore had a .htaccess file of its own.

To create an .htpasswd file, login to the server via the control panel and specify the directory you specified in AuthUserFile. In the example, this is /mnt/web/guide/somewhere/somepath.

To add more users in the future, use the control panel and make modifications. The use of the system should be self evident.