How To Unprotect A Folder In Apache

The Apache HTTP web-server makes it easy to protect a folder (and its sub-folders) with a username/password prompt. Simply create a .htaccess file in the specified folder, and add something like this:

AuthName "Folder Protection"
AuthUserFile /path/to/.htpasswd
AuthGroupFile /dev/null
AuthType Basic
Require valid-user

For help with generating a valid .htpasswd file, you can use a tool like Dynamic Drive’s .htaccess Password Generator. There are plenty of tutorials online that explain this process.

On the other hand, it’s much harder to find information about unprotecting a sub-folder of a folder that is protected in the manner specified above. Some posts I read implied that it wasn’t possible at all. I finally found the answer here and here. Basically, in the sub-folder you’re trying to unprotect, you simply need to create a new .htaccess file and add the following:

Satisfy Any