Testing .htaccess Without Killing The Server

The .htaccess file is sensitive to errors.

I've never actually killed the server with a mistake. But I have reduced the entire willmaster.com website to a massive 500 Internal Server Error. Several times.

Then, I figured out how to sandbox my testing. With the sandbox, I can try new things until I get them working - without affecting the rest of the server.

You can do the same.

Make a subdirectory. (The subdirectory is the sandbox.) Inside the subdirectory, put the .htaccess and any other files necessary for the test. No public pages are in the sandbox subdirectory, only those required for the test.

Test until the subdirectory's .htaccess file behaves like it is supposed to. It should now be safe to transfer the command lines to the public .htaccess file.

It is likely to work in the public directory as in the sandbox, but no guarantees. Test the public pages. Be prepared to reverse the public .htaccess file changes and do further sandbox testing.

Will Bontrager