.htaccess Redirect Generator

.htaccess is Apache's per-directory configuration file, and a redirect rule inside it runs before Apache even looks for the requested file — which makes it faster and more reliable than a redirect coded into a page. This generator writes the rule two ways: a plain Redirect directive, and the equivalent mod_rewrite RewriteRule, so you can use whichever your setup already relies on.

Redirect vs RewriteRule

Redirect (from mod_alias) is the simpler of the two — one old path, one new path, done. It is enough for straightforward one-to-one page moves and is easier to read and maintain later.

RewriteRule (from mod_rewrite) is a full pattern-matching engine: it can redirect whole groups of URLs that match a regular expression, preserve or rewrite query strings, and apply conditions based on the requesting domain, user agent or other request details. Reach for it when a single rule needs to cover many URLs at once; use plain Redirect when it does not.

When .htaccess causes a 500 error

This is almost always a syntax error in the rule itself, or a directive that depends on an Apache module — typically mod_rewrite — that is not enabled on that server. The Apache error log (not the browser) names the exact line and reason, and is the fastest way to find it; on shared hosting it is usually available through the control panel.