Question

The only thing in http://localhost/.htaccess is this:

Options +FollowSymLinks
Alias /1 /2

…and I get an HTTP 500 error. Tried it with one, both, either or directories existing (e.g. localhost/1/). Not seeing anything for tutorials. Can I get this to work without modifying the server’s httpd.conf configuration file?

Goal: use a single (same) directory for two or more sites that are structured the same with different content.

Condition: This MUST be mirrored on a live server which means I do NOT have access to the server configuration.

If SymLinks can NOT be used in any way via .htaccess without modifying the server configuration then this approach is not one I can take.

Answer 1

According to the documentation, you cannot use Alias in a .htaccess file.

For the Alias directive, it lists the Context as server config, virtual host. If you were able to use it in a .htaccess file then .htaccess would appear in the Context for the directive in the documentation.

Some options to solve the problem:

• Make /1 a symlink to the /2 directory. (Is /1 already symlink to /2? If so, just get rid of the Alias statement. You don’t need it in that case.)
• Move the Alias directive to the server config.
• Use mod_rewrite rules in your .htaccess file. This will only work if your /2 directory is under docroot.
• Use a Redirect directive. This also requires tht your /2 directory is under your docroot. It’s different from Alias, but it might be close enough for you depending on what it is you’re trying to achieve.