access.conf - Linux

Overview

access.conf controls access to web-space. It is used by Apache to determine which users are allowed to access certain directories or files.

access.conf [-f | --file <file>] [-d | --dir <dir>] [-u | --user <user>] [-g | --group <group>] [-p | --perm <perm>]

-f, –file : Specify the config file to use. Defaults to /etc/httpd/conf/access.conf.
-d, –dir : Set the base directory to check access for. Defaults to the directory containing the config file.
-u, –user : Specify the user to check access for. Defaults to the current user.
-g, –group : Specify the group to check access for. Defaults to the current user’s group.
-p, –perm : Define the permissions to check. Valid values: "read", "write", "execute", "all".

Check if the current user has read access to /var/www/html:

access.conf -d /var/www/html -p read

Grant the "examplegroup" group write access to all files in /usr/local/webapps:

access.conf -f /etc/httpd/conf/myaccess.conf -d /usr/local/webapps -g examplegroup -p write

Permission denied errors: Ensure that the specified user/group has the correct permissions and that the config file is in the correct location.
Incorrect config file: Verify that the specified config file exists and is readable by Apache.
Multiple matching rules: If multiple rules apply to a request, the first matching rule will be used.

mod_access: Apache module that enforces the access rules defined in access.conf.
htaccess files: Override access rules for specific directories within a web-space.

httpd.conf: Apache configuration file
mod_authz_groupfile: Apache module that controls access based on a group file
htpasswd: Tool for creating and managing Apache authentication files