Photo via Smile My Day
What is an .htaccess file? According to the good folks at NetTuts:
.htaccess files are used to configure Apache, as well a range of other web servers. Despite the .htaccessfile type extension, they are simply text files that can be edited using any text-editor.
That’s the abridged definition, of course. .htaccess files can be used for redirects and URL rewriting, serving custom error pages, restricting access to specific resources, enable compression, and more.
Here’s a few links from NetTuts to help you learn more about .htaccess files (if you’re not up to speed already).
.htaccess Files For The Rest Of Us
5 Fun & Practical .htaccess Solutions
The Ultimate Guide To .htaccess Files
And lastly, here’s a quick video tutorial (also via NetTuts) called “Point Visitors In The Right Direction With .htaccess” that will detail some of the aforementioned .htaccess tricks: