Before we move on you should be familiar with the following files.

The .htaccess file
This file is placed under the directory that you wish to protect and contains the configuration directory that overrides the httpd.conf file. When a Web request is made to the Web Server every directory is checked starting with the ServerRoot and ending with the directory the requested file is in for a .htaccess file. If a .htaccess file is found in a directory its directives are applied to that directory and every sub directory below it.

The .htpasswd file
This file can be placed anywhere on the server but placing it under the DoucmentRoot would be a great security risk as it would allow the intruders to read the file with their we browser. It would contain the user configuration for the .htaccess protection.

The .htgroup file
This file can be placed anywhere on the server but placing it under the DoucmentRoot would be a great security risk as it would allow the intruders to read the file with their we browser. It would contain the user group�s configuration for the .htaccess protection.

The .httpd.conf file
This file is the main Apache Server configuration file. The Web Server gets its directives instructions from this file.