The .htaccess file is a special Apache file that adjusts the way your website behaves. You can edit the existing .htaccess file on your site, or you can create a new text file in any directory and name it .htaccess.
How can I secure my .htaccess file?
The .htaccess file is already protected and forbidden to browsers. To be sure, double-check that the file is named .htaccess and not htaccess or htaccess.txt. The file must start with a dot.
Can I delete my .htaccess file permanently?
You can delete the .htaccess file, but it will reappear immediately as a blank file. HostGator has default directives that will always be in place unless you create your directives to overrule ours.
.htaccess Example
Even if you erase and remove the .htaccess file, HostGator uses this code as a default.
DirectoryIndex index.html index.shtml index.php default.html home.htmlYou can override those defaults by creating your own rules.
DirectoryIndex home.html page1.php index.txt