Using .htaccess for Redirects and Canonical URLs

The .htaccess file sits in your site's root folder and lets you control redirects, URL rewriting and canonical URL rules on Apache/LiteSpeed servers — no code changes needed. Here's how to edit it safely on Hoststack and the rules most sites actually need.

Finding and editing .htaccess

• Open File Manager from cPanel/DirectAdmin and navigate to public_html
• Enable "Show Hidden Files" — .htaccess starts with a dot, so it's hidden by default
• If it doesn't exist, create a new file named exactly .htaccess (no filename before the dot)
• Always download a backup copy before editing — one wrong rule can 500-error your whole site

Forcing HTTPS (canonical protocol)

Add this to the top of .htaccess to redirect all http:// traffic to https://. Every Hoststack plan includes free SSL, so this is safe to add as soon as your certificate is active:

Choosing www or non-www as canonical

Google treats www.yoursite.com and yoursite.com as separate URLs. Pick one as canonical and 301-redirect the other, so search engines and links consolidate to a single version. To force www:

Common redirect rules

• Single page: Redirect 301 /old-page.html /new-page
• Whole domain: Redirect 301 / https://newdomain.com/
• Remove trailing slashes: use RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} (.+)/$ with a rule stripping the final /
• Use 301 for permanent moves (passes SEO value) and 302 only for temporary redirects

Avoiding a 500 error

If your site goes down right after an edit, it's almost always a syntax mistake in .htaccess. Reopen the file, remove the last rule you added, and reload the site. WordPress users should never touch the block between # BEGIN WordPress and # END WordPress — add custom rules above or below it instead.