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Lizely

htaccess to Nginx Converter

Translate a deliberately narrow, auditable subset of Apache .htaccess directives into review-ready Nginx lines while surfacing every condition or unsupported rule instead of guessing.

Privacy: your files never leave your device. All processing happens locally in your browser.

How to use

  1. 1.Paste a focused document-root .htaccess excerpt and convert only the explicitly supported directive subset.
  2. 2.Review every emitted line and resolve each line-numbered warning manually against the Apache and Nginx documentation.
  3. 3.Merge into the correct Nginx context, back up the active configuration, run nginx -t and test representative requests before reload.

About htaccess to Nginx Converter

Htaccess to Nginx Converter helps with the first pass of a server migration without pretending that Apache per-directory configuration and Nginx configuration are interchangeable. Paste a small .htaccess excerpt and the tool emits only directives covered by its narrow conversion contract. Anything conditional, unfamiliar or syntactically ambiguous is reported with its original line number for manual work. Processing remains in the browser and the input is not sent to Lizely.

The supported rewrite form contains an Apache RewriteRule pattern, a substitution and a bracketed flag list. The automatic flag set is intentionally limited to L, R, R=301 and R=302. A permanent Apache redirect becomes the Nginx permanent flag, a temporary redirect becomes redirect, and an internal last rule becomes last. Unknown flags such as QSA, END, F, G, B or NC stop conversion for that rule because their details cannot be erased safely.

Patterns in a document-root .htaccess normally match a path after the directory prefix has been removed, so they commonly begin with a caret but no slash. Nginx rewrite patterns see a URI that begins with slash. The converter therefore inserts that leading slash for the supported root-context pattern. This is a documented scope assumption, not a universal transformation for nested .htaccess files, Alias mappings or location-specific Nginx blocks.

RewriteCond lines are never translated automatically. Apache conditions can inspect HTTPS state, host names, files, directories, query strings, headers and captured groups. Their evaluation order and the server architecture matter. When a RewriteRule follows a condition, the tool suppresses the rule too, rather than emitting an unconditional redirect that could change traffic, create a loop or expose a route.

The Apache no-substitution target represented by a single dash is also withheld. It often combines with flags that alter access or processing without changing the URI, and a literal dash is not a safe Nginx replacement. The warning is part of the result. A converter that silently writes plausible-looking but non-equivalent configuration is more dangerous than one that leaves explicit work.

Three non-rewrite mappings are supported. Options -Indexes becomes autoindex off, a local ErrorDocument 404 path becomes error_page 404 with the same path, and a quoted X-Robots-Tag Header set value becomes an add_header line. Other status codes, external error documents, conditional headers, environment variables and directive containers require manual migration.

Output is a fragment, not a complete nginx.conf. It does not create an http, server or location block, choose a listen port, set server_name, configure TLS, locate a document root, preserve PHP routing, forward a proxy, or define logs. Place each reviewed line in the correct context according to the official Nginx directive documentation and the actual application architecture.

The tool does not execute nginx -t, inspect installed modules, discover include order or access your server. A line can be syntactically valid yet wrong for its context. Back up the active configuration, keep an open recovery session, validate the entire assembled configuration, and stage representative requests before reloading. A failed reload or redirect loop can make a public site unavailable.

Permanent redirects deserve extra care because browsers and intermediaries may cache them. Start with temporary redirects in a controlled environment when practical, then switch to permanent only after testing old paths, new paths, query strings, alternate hosts and HTTPS behavior. Confirm the response Location header rather than relying on the browser address bar alone.

The eight external fixtures cover permanent and temporary redirects, an internal last rewrite, preservation of a capture backreference, a pattern that already contains its leading slash, directory-listing disablement, a local 404 document and an X-Robots-Tag header. Negative tests prove that conditions, unfamiliar flags and the no-substitution dash produce warnings and no guessed output.

Apache and Nginx use different request-processing models. Apache .htaccess is discovered through directories and may be disabled by AllowOverride. Nginx reads centralized configuration and chooses server and location contexts before rewrite processing. Even identical regular expressions can behave differently because the string being matched, escaping, query handling and loop behavior differ. Read both official manuals for every nontrivial rule.

Use this converter as an inventory assistant: paste one focused excerpt, review the converted count, resolve every warning, assemble the result in a version-controlled Nginx file and validate it on staging. If the source contains authentication, authorization, hotlink protection, proxy logic, CMS front-controller rules or complex conditions, treat the migration as engineering work rather than bulk text replacement.

Methodology & sources

The parser handles one bounded line at a time, ignores RewriteEngine On, preserves comments, adds the root-context URI slash for a restricted RewriteRule flag set, maps three documented simple directives and returns line-numbered warnings without emitting any condition-dependent or unknown rule.

Frequently asked questions

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