.htaccess Compatibility

Learning Focus

By the end of this lesson you will know which Apache rewrite directives work in OpenLiteSpeed.

Supported Directives

Directive	Support	Notes
RewriteEngine	✅ Full	Core rewrite support
RewriteRule	✅ Full	Pattern matching and substitution
RewriteCond	✅ Full	Conditional matching
RewriteBase	✅ Full	Base URL for relative rewrites
Redirect	✅ Full	Simple redirects
RedirectMatch	✅ Full	Regex-based redirects
ErrorDocument	✅ Full	Custom error pages

Unsupported or Partial

Some Apache-specific modules are not available:

• mod_substitute for content rewriting
• Complex mod_rewrite map files
• Certain mod_proxy directives (use OLS contexts instead)

Best Practices

• Test rewrite rules after migrating from Apache
• Use WebAdmin rewrite logging to debug rules that don't work
• Prefer native OLS configuration for server-managed rules

See .htaccess Support for the complete compatibility reference.

Key Takeaways

• OpenLiteSpeed supports most common Apache rewrite directives.
• Always test after migrating from Apache — some edge cases may differ.
• Native OLS configuration is more efficient for server-managed rules.

What's Next

• Return to the Advanced Features module for the complete overview.