How to Enable mod_rewrite in .htaccess File

mod_rewrite is an Apache module used to rewrite URLs dynamically, commonly used to create user-friendly URLs, redirect traffic, or manage different URLs for search engine optimization (SEO). If you’re working with an Apache web server, enabling mod_rewrite in your .htaccess file is a common task.

In this article, I’ll walk you through the steps to enable mod_rewrite and make the necessary changes to your .htaccess file.

What is mod_rewrite?

mod_rewrite is an Apache module that allows you to modify URLs before the server processes them.

This is very useful for:

• Redirecting old URLs to new ones.
• Removing query parameters (e.g., from example.com?page=about to example.com/about).
• Making URLs cleaner and more user-friendly.
• Helping with SEO by using readable URLs.

Step 1: Check mod_rewrite in Linux

First, you need to verify that Apache is installed on your system and that mod_rewrite is enabled.

apache2 -v   [On Debian, Ubuntu and Mint]
httpd -v     [On RHEL/CentOS/Fedora and Rocky/AlmaLinux]

If Apache is installed, you’ll see the version information. If not, you need to install it using the following appropriate command for your specific Linux distribution.

sudo apt install apache2      [On Debian, Ubuntu and Mint]
sudo yum install httpd        [On RHEL/CentOS/Fedora and Rocky/AlmaLinux]

Once Apache is installed, you need to enable mod_rewrite in Debian-based distributions and restart Apache for the changes to take effect.

sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2

In RHEL-based distributions, mod_rewrite is usually enabled by default, you just need to restart Apache to activate it.

sudo systemctl restart httpd

Step 2: Enable mod_rewrite Rules in .htaccess File

To enable mod_rewrite rules in your .htaccess file, you need to make sure Apache is configured to allow .htaccess overrides.

This is done by modifying your Apache configuration file.

Enable mod_rewrite in Debian/Ubuntu

Open the /etc/apache2/apache2.conf file.

sudo nano /etc/apache2/apache2.conf

Search for the section that looks like this:

<Directory /var/www/>
    Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
    AllowOverride None
    Require all granted
</Directory>

Change AllowOverride None to AllowOverride All.

<Directory /var/www/>
    Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
    AllowOverride All
    Require all granted
</Directory>

Save and close the file, then restart Apache.

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Enable mod_rewrite in RedHat/CentOS

Open the /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf file.

sudo nano /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

Look for the section with:

<Directory "/var/www/html">
    AllowOverride None
</Directory>

Change AllowOverride None to AllowOverride All.

<Directory "/var/www/html">
    AllowOverride All
</Directory>

Save the file and restart Apache.

sudo systemctl restart httpd

Step 3: Create or Edit the .htaccess File

Now that mod_rewrite is enabled and Apache is configured to use .htaccess, it’s time to create or edit .htaccess file under your website’s root directory (/var/www/html/).

cd /var/www/html/
sudo nano .htaccess

Add your mod_rewrite rules. For example, here is a common rewrite rule that redirects all traffic to the index.php file:

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
    RewriteRule ^(.*)$ index.php/\ [L]
</IfModule>

Save and close the file.

Step 4: Test Your Configuration

After making all these changes, you need to test your mod_rewrite configuration to make sure it’s working.

• Open your browser and try accessing a URL that should be rewritten. For example, if your rewrite rule directs everything to index.php, try visiting http://yourdomain.com/test.
• If everything is set up correctly, the request should be handled by index.php, even though you’re requesting /test.

If it’s not working, check your Apache error logs for clues:

sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log
Or
sudo tail -f /var/log/httpd/error.log

Common Issues

• 500 Internal Server Error: This can happen if there’s a syntax error in your .htaccess file. Make sure the file is properly formatted.
• RewriteEngine Not Working: Ensure that mod_rewrite is enabled and that Apache allows .htaccess overrides (with AllowOverride All).

Conclusion

Enabling mod_rewrite in your .htaccess file is essential for managing URL redirects, creating user-friendly links, and improving SEO. By following the steps above, you can easily enable and configure mod_rewrite on your Apache server.