Apache allows you to customize settings at the level of a directory or file. This means that requests matching a specific path on your server are treated differently from requests for other parts of the site.

Per-directory options can be set as part of Apache's configuration files using the <Directory> directive. Options set this way will apply to the chosen directory and all of its subdirectories. The <Directory> options set on a subdirectory will override the settings of a higher-level directory.

Local settings can also be specified by placing them in a special file (called .htaccess by default) placed in a directory. The AllowOverride option must be set on the directory for .htaccess files to have an effect.

In this recipe, we will create a directory-specific configuration, which allows the usage of .htaccess files in that directory and its subdirectories.