Password Protect A Directory

Moving on..

To protect a directory, the directory needs to exist. So if it doesnt, firstly create the directory.

Now we are going to build up the .htaccess file.

AuthUserFile .htpasswd

This defines the name of the file that holds the usernames and passwords in.

AuthName "Directory name"

This is what will show in the password prompt box.. So the code above would be:

Enter username and password for "Directory Name" at yoursite.com

So change that to how you want it.

AuthType Basic
require valid-user

You do not need to edit this, you just leave as. This tells the server that to enter the directory, you need to be a valid user.

Here is the full code:

AuthUserFile .htpasswd
 AuthName "Directory Namel"
 AuthType Basic
 require valid-user

Save that as .htaccess and place it in the directory you want to protect.

Now thats no good, if we havnt got any usernames & passwords...

So for this, we need to use a generator to generate the encrypted password.

You can find the generator here

So enter the username and password you want, it will give you the code. Place the output in a blank file and save it as .htpasswd

Now upload both files to your directory, and test it. If you followed the tutorial correct, it should work!

You will find both files in the ZIP folder that is available for download at the end of the tutorial. The username and password for the file in the ZIP is:

Username: Test
Password: testing