Setting up adequate Security using .htaccess

[brassman]

I would like to have some simple instructions on how to set up security using .htaccess, particularly for digital goods.

Several posts on this forum recommend that downloads are not held within the root directory, but elsewhere. This is indeed good practice as far as I can tell. The only problem is that not all ISP (including mine) allow access to anywhere other than the root directory.

Therefore, I need a way to secure my digital goods and .htaccess appears to be a way to do it. But is it adequate, and how should it be set up properly?

As a newcomer to this subject, doubtless there are many important aspects to understand and I am hopeful that some knowledgeable expert (you know who you are!) can provide an idiot's guide.

A set of instructions like this would save me (and I daresay many other people) hours fiddling around, or even better, protect the community from naughty people out there in electron-land.

Cheers

[Guest]

Have you've been able to get an answer? My ISP will not let me create a folder in the ROOT directory. I am only allowed to create folders in the HTTPDOCS folder.

There recommending a private folder inside httpdocs and then create a .htaccess (dot htaccess)...