.htaccess password protect directories

This tutorial will explain how you can password protect a specific directory, so only authorized users can access that directory. There is an Online .htaccess Password Generator that simplifies this which can be found on this website [htaccess Generator]

The instructions are quite clear, but remember that the path to where you store the .htpasswd file needs to be

/var/www/vhosts/yourdomainname.co.za/somedirectory/

Please fine the example that I did below.

Step 1: Insert the below code into your .htaccess file, and upload this file to the directory you wish to protect (or which the files you wish to protect is under): .htaccess:

AuthName "Restricted Area" 
AuthType Basic 
AuthUserFile /var/www/vhosts/designyourwebsite.co.za/password/.htpasswd 
AuthGroupFile /dev/null 
require valid-user

Step 2: Save the below code into a file called .htpasswd, and upload this file to the location as specified in the "AuthUserFile" line above. It contains your username(s) and encrypted password(s). Important: .htpasswd should be put in a non public folder, such as directly above your public HTML folder, to prevent visitors from viewing this file in the browser. .htpasswd:

exampleuser:ipNgs4Ag1NdmA