With an .htaccess file, you can specify how the web server which handles the requests to your websites should act a number of scenarios. This is a text file with directives that are carried out when somebody tries to open your site and what happens next will depend on the content of the file. As an illustration, you can block a particular IP address from accessing the website, which means that the server will decline your visitor’s request, or you can forward your domain name to a different URL, so the server will redirect the visitor to the new web address. You could also use custom error pages or secure any part of your Internet site with a password, if you place an .htaccess file inside the correct folder. Many widely used script-driven applications, such as Drupal™, Joomla™ and WordPress, use an .htaccess file to work properly.