Setting Permissions in Apache - AllowOverride directive
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In addition to serving any file it can access by default, Apache also by default allows parts of configuration data to be placed under the web server tree, in files normally named .htaccess. Configuration information in such files can override the information in the httpd.conf configuration file. Though this can be useful, it slows down the server (because Apache is forced to check whether the file exists in any of the sub-folders it serves) and allows anyone who controls the web server tree to have limited control of the web server. This feature is controlled with the AllowOverride directive, which, like Options, appears within the <Directory> directive specifying the directory to which the options apply. TheAllowOverride directive supports the following options:
AuthConfig
Allows use (in .htaccess files) of the authorization
directives (explained in Chapter 7)
FileInfo
Allows use of the directives controlling document
types
Indexes
Allows use of the directives controlling directory
indexing
Limit
Allows use of the directives controlling host access
Options
Allows use of the directives controlling specific
directory functions (theOptions andXbitHack
directives)
All
Allows all options listed
None
Ignores .htaccess configuration files
For our default configuration, we choose theNone option. So, our <Directory>directives are now:
<Directory />
Order Deny,Allow
Deny from all
Options None
AllowOverride None
</Directory>
<Directory /var/www/htdocs>
Order Allow,Deny
Allow from all
</Directory>
Modules sometimes useAllowOverridesettings to make other decisions as to whether something should be allowed. Therefore, a change to a setting can have unexpected consequences. As an example, includingOptionsas one of theAllowOverride options will allow PHP configuration directives to be used in .htaccess files. In theory, every directive of every module should fit into one of theAllowOverridesettings, but in practice it depends on whether their respective developers have considered it.
Next: Enabling CGI Scripts >>
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 This article is excerpted from chapter two of Apache Security, written by Ivan Ristic (O'Reilly; ISBN: 0596007248). Check it out today at your favorite bookstore. Buy this book now.
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