One quick way you can tell if it's your .htaccess is try updating it to the following. I got this from Nicu at EE Zoo and have been using it for all of my builds here on out:
# Apache configuration file
# httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/mod/quickreference.html
# Note .htaccess files are an overhead, this logic should be in your Apache
# config if possible: httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/howto/htaccess.html
# Techniques in here adapted from all over, including:
# Kroc Camen: camendesign.com/.htaccess
# perishablepress.com/press/2006/01/10/stupid-htaccess-tricks/
# Sample .htaccess file of CMS MODx: modxcms.com
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Better website experience for IE users
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Force the latest IE version, in various cases when it may fall back to IE7 mode
# github.com/rails/rails/commit/123eb25#commitcomment-118920
# Use ChromeFrame if it's installed for a better experience for the poor IE folk
<IfModule mod_headers.c>
Header set X-UA-Compatible "IE=Edge,chrome=1"
# mod_headers can't match by content-type, but we don't want to send this header on *everything*...
<FilesMatch "\.(js|css|gif|png|jpe?g|pdf|xml|oga|ogg|m4a|ogv|mp4|m4v|webm|svg|svgz|eot|ttf|otf|woff|ico|webp|appcache|manifest|htc|crx|oex|xpi|safariextz|vcf)$" >
Header unset X-UA-Compatible
</FilesMatch>
</IfModule>
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Cross-domain AJAX requests
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Serve cross-domain Ajax requests, disabled by default.
# enable-cors.org
# code.google.com/p/html5security/wiki/CrossOriginRequestSecurity
# <IfModule mod_headers.c>
# Header set Access-Control-Allow-Origin "*"
# </IfModule>
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# CORS-enabled images (@crossorigin)
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Send CORS headers if browsers request them; enabled by default for images.
# developer.mozilla.org/en/CORS_Enabled_Image
# blog.chromium.org/2011/07/using-cross-domain-images-in-webgl-and.html
# hacks.mozilla.org/2011/11/using-cors-to-load-webgl-textures-from-cross-domain-images/
# wiki.mozilla.org/Security/Reviews/crossoriginAttribute
<IfModule mod_setenvif.c>
<IfModule mod_headers.c>
# mod_headers, y u no match by Content-Type?!
<FilesMatch "\.(gif|png|jpe?g|svg|svgz|ico|webp)$">
SetEnvIf Origin ":" IS_CORS
Header set Access-Control-Allow-Origin "*" env=IS_CORS
</FilesMatch>
</IfModule>
</IfModule>
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Webfont access
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Allow access from all domains for webfonts.
# Alternatively you could only whitelist your
# subdomains like "subdomain.example.com".
<IfModule mod_headers.c>
<FilesMatch "\.(ttf|ttc|otf|eot|woff|font.css)$">
Header set Access-Control-Allow-Origin "*"
</FilesMatch>
</IfModule>
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Proper MIME type for all files
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# JavaScript
# Normalize to standard type (it's sniffed in IE anyways)
# tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4329#section-7.2
AddType application/javascript js jsonp
AddType application/json json
# Audio
AddType audio/ogg oga ogg
AddType audio/mp4 m4a f4a f4b
# Video
AddType video/ogg ogv
AddType video/mp4 mp4 m4v f4v f4p
AddType video/webm webm
AddType video/x-flv flv
# SVG
# Required for svg webfonts on iPad
# twitter.com/FontSquirrel/status/14855840545
AddType image/svg+xml svg svgz
AddEncoding gzip svgz
# Webfonts
AddType application/vnd.ms-fontobject eot
AddType application/x-font-ttf ttf ttc
AddType font/opentype otf
AddType application/x-font-woff woff
# Assorted types
AddType image/x-icon ico
AddType image/webp webp
AddType text/cache-manifest appcache manifest
AddType text/x-component htc
AddType application/xml rss atom xml rdf
AddType application/x-chrome-extension crx
AddType application/x-opera-extension oex
AddType application/x-xpinstall xpi
AddType application/octet-stream safariextz
AddType application/x-web-app-manifest+json webapp
AddType text/x-vcard vcf
AddType application/x-shockwave-flash swf
AddType text/vtt vtt
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Allow concatenation from within specific js and css files
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# e.g. Inside of script.combined.js you could have
# <!--#include file="libs/jquery-1.5.0.min.js" -->
# <!--#include file="plugins/jquery.idletimer.js" -->
# and they would be included into this single file.
# This is not in use in the boilerplate as it stands. You may
# choose to use this technique if you do not have a build process.
#<FilesMatch "\.combined\.js$">
# Options +Includes
# AddOutputFilterByType INCLUDES application/javascript application/json
# SetOutputFilter INCLUDES
#</FilesMatch>
#<FilesMatch "\.combined\.css$">
# Options +Includes
# AddOutputFilterByType INCLUDES text/css
# SetOutputFilter INCLUDES
#</FilesMatch>
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Gzip compression
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
# Force deflate for mangled headers developer.yahoo.com/blogs/ydn/posts/2010/12/pushing-beyond-gzipping/
<IfModule mod_setenvif.c>
<IfModule mod_headers.c>
SetEnvIfNoCase ^(Accept-EncodXng|X-cept-Encoding|X{15}|~{15}|-{15})$ ^((gzip|deflate)\s*,?\s*)+|[X~-]{4,13}$ HAVE_Accept-Encoding
RequestHeader append Accept-Encoding "gzip,deflate" env=HAVE_Accept-Encoding
</IfModule>
</IfModule>
# Compress all output labeled with one of the following MIME-types
<IfModule mod_filter.c>
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/atom+xml \
application/javascript \
application/json \
application/rss+xml \
application/vnd.ms-fontobject \
application/x-font-ttf \
application/xhtml+xml \
application/xml \
font/opentype \
image/svg+xml \
image/x-icon \
text/css \
text/html \
text/plain \
text/x-component \
text/xml
</IfModule>
</IfModule>
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Expires headers (for better cache control)
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# These are pretty far-future expires headers.
# They assume you control versioning with filename-based cache busting
# Additionally, consider that outdated proxies may miscache
# www.stevesouders.com/blog/2008/08/23/revving-filenames-dont-use-querystring/
# If you don't use filenames to version, lower the CSS and JS to something like
# "access plus 1 week".
<IfModule mod_expires.c>
ExpiresActive on
# Perhaps better to whitelist expires rules? Perhaps.
ExpiresDefault "access plus 1 month"
# cache.appcache needs re-requests in FF 3.6 (thanks Remy ~Introducing HTML5)
ExpiresByType text/cache-manifest "access plus 0 seconds"
# Your document html
ExpiresByType text/html "access plus 0 seconds"
# Data
ExpiresByType text/xml "access plus 0 seconds"
ExpiresByType application/xml "access plus 0 seconds"
ExpiresByType application/json "access plus 0 seconds"
# Feed
ExpiresByType application/rss+xml "access plus 1 hour"
ExpiresByType application/atom+xml "access plus 1 hour"
# Favicon (cannot be renamed)
ExpiresByType image/x-icon "access plus 1 week"
# Media: images, video, audio
ExpiresByType image/gif "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType image/png "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType image/jpeg "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType video/ogg "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType audio/ogg "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType video/mp4 "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType video/webm "access plus 1 month"
# HTC files (css3pie)
ExpiresByType text/x-component "access plus 1 month"
# Webfonts
ExpiresByType application/x-font-ttf "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType font/opentype "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType application/x-font-woff "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType image/svg+xml "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType application/vnd.ms-fontobject "access plus 1 month"
# CSS and JavaScript
ExpiresByType text/css "access plus 1 year"
ExpiresByType application/javascript "access plus 1 year"
</IfModule>
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Prevent mobile network providers from modifying your site
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# The following header prevents modification of your code over 3G on some
# European providers.
# This is the official 'bypass' suggested by O2 in the UK.
# <IfModule mod_headers.c>
# Header set Cache-Control "no-transform"
# </IfModule>
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# ETag removal
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# FileETag None is not enough for every server.
<IfModule mod_headers.c>
Header unset ETag
</IfModule>
# Since we're sending far-future expires, we don't need ETags for
# static content.
# developer.yahoo.com/performance/rules.html#etags
FileETag None
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Stop screen flicker in IE on CSS rollovers
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# The following directives stop screen flicker in IE on CSS rollovers - in
# combination with the "ExpiresByType" rules for images (see above).
# BrowserMatch "MSIE" brokenvary=1
# BrowserMatch "Mozilla/4.[0-9]{2}" brokenvary=1
# BrowserMatch "Opera" !brokenvary
# SetEnvIf brokenvary 1 force-no-vary
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Set Keep-Alive Header
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Keep-Alive allows the server to send multiple requests through one
# TCP-connection. Be aware of possible disadvantages of this setting. Turn on
# if you serve a lot of static content.
# <IfModule mod_headers.c>
# Header set Connection Keep-Alive
# </IfModule>
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Cookie setting from iframes
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Allow cookies to be set from iframes (for IE only)
# If needed, specify a path or regex in the Location directive.
# <IfModule mod_headers.c>
# Header set P3P "policyref=\"/w3c/p3p.xml\", CP=\"IDC DSP COR ADM DEVi TAIi PSA PSD IVAi IVDi CONi HIS OUR IND CNT\""
# </IfModule>
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Start rewrite engine
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Turning on the rewrite engine is necessary for the following rules and
# features. FollowSymLinks must be enabled for this to work.
# Some cloud hosting services require RewriteBase to be set: goo.gl/HOcPN
# If using the h5bp in a subdirectory, use `RewriteBase /foo` instead where
# 'foo' is your directory.
# If your web host doesn't allow the FollowSymlinks option, you may need to
# comment it out and use `Options +SymLinksOfOwnerMatch`, but be aware of the
# performance impact: http://goo.gl/Mluzd
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
Options +FollowSymlinks
# Options +SymLinksIfOwnerMatch
RewriteEngine On
# RewriteBase /
</IfModule>
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Suppress or force the "www." at the beginning of URLs
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# The same content should never be available under two different URLs -
# especially not with and without "www." at the beginning, since this can cause
# SEO problems (duplicate content). That's why you should choose one of the
# alternatives and redirect the other one.
# By default option 1 (no "www.") is activated.
# no-www.org/faq.php?q=class_b
# If you'd prefer to use option 2, just comment out all option 1 lines
# and uncomment option 2.
# IMPORTANT: NEVER USE BOTH RULES AT THE SAME TIME!
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Option 1:
# Rewrite "www.example.com -> example.com".
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.(.+)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^ http://%1%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]
</IfModule>
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Option 2:
# Rewrite "example.com -> www.example.com".
# Be aware that the following rule might not be a good idea if you use "real"
# subdomains for certain parts of your website.
# <IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
# RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
# RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www\..+$ [NC]
# RewriteRule ^ http://www.%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]
# </IfModule>
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Built-in filename-based cache busting
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# If you're not using the build script to manage your filename version revving,
# you might want to consider enabling this, which will route requests for
# /css/style.20110203.css to /css/style.css
# To understand why this is important and a better idea than all.css?v1231,
# read: github.com/h5bp/html5-boilerplate/wiki/cachebusting
# <IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
# RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
# RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
# RewriteRule ^(.+)\.(\d+)\.(js|css|png|jpg|gif)$ $1.$3 [L]
# </IfModule>
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Prevent SSL cert warnings
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Rewrite secure requests properly to prevent SSL cert warnings, e.g. prevent
# https://www.example.com when your cert only allows https://secure.example.com
# <IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
# RewriteCond %{SERVER_PORT} !^443
# RewriteRule ^ https://example-domain-please-change-me.com%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]
# </IfModule>
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Prevent 404 errors for non-existing redirected folders
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# without -MultiViews, Apache will give a 404 for a rewrite if a folder of the
# same name does not exist.
# webmasterworld.com/apache/3808792.htm
Options -MultiViews
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Custom 404 page
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# You can add custom pages to handle 500 or 403 pretty easily, if you like.
# If you are hosting your site in subdirectory, adjust this accordingly
# e.g. ErrorDocument 404 /subdir/404.html
ErrorDocument 404 /404
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# UTF-8 encoding
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Use UTF-8 encoding for anything served text/plain or text/html
AddDefaultCharset utf-8
# Force UTF-8 for a number of file formats
AddCharset utf-8 .atom .css .js .json .rss .vtt .xml
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# A little more security
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# To avoid displaying the exact version number of Apache being used, add the
# following to httpd.conf (it will not work in .htaccess):
# ServerTokens Prod
# "-Indexes" will have Apache block users from browsing folders without a
# default document Usually you should leave this activated, because you
# shouldn't allow everybody to surf through every folder on your server (which
# includes rather private places like CMS system folders).
<IfModule mod_autoindex.c>
Options -Indexes
</IfModule>
# Block access to "hidden" directories or files whose names begin with a
# period. This includes directories used by version control systems such as
# Subversion or Git.
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteCond %{SCRIPT_FILENAME} -d [OR]
RewriteCond %{SCRIPT_FILENAME} -f
RewriteRule "(^|/)\." - [F]
</IfModule>
# Block access to backup and source files. These files may be left by some
# text/html editors and pose a great security danger, when anyone can access
# them.
<FilesMatch "(\.(bak|config|sql|fla|psd|ini|log|sh|inc|swp|dist)|~)$">
Order allow,deny
Deny from all
Satisfy All
</FilesMatch>
# If your server is not already configured as such, the following directive
# should be uncommented in order to set PHP's register_globals option to OFF.
# This closes a major security hole that is abused by most XSS (cross-site
# scripting) attacks. For more information: http://php.net/register_globals
#
# IF REGISTER_GLOBALS DIRECTIVE CAUSES 500 INTERNAL SERVER ERRORS:
#
# Your server does not allow PHP directives to be set via .htaccess. In that
# case you must make this change in your php.ini file instead. If you are
# using a commercial web host, contact the administrators for assistance in
# doing this. Not all servers allow local php.ini files, and they should
# include all PHP configurations (not just this one), or you will effectively
# reset everything to PHP defaults. Consult www.php.net for more detailed
# information about setting PHP directives.
# php_flag register_globals Off
# Rename session cookie to something else, than PHPSESSID
# php_value session.name sid
# Disable magic quotes (This feature has been DEPRECATED as of PHP 5.3.0 and REMOVED as of PHP 5.4.0.)
# php_flag magic_quotes_gpc Off
# Do not show you are using PHP
# Note: Move this line to php.ini since it won't work in .htaccess
# php_flag expose_php Off
# Level of log detail - log all errors
# php_value error_reporting -1
# Write errors to log file
# php_flag log_errors On
# Do not display errors in browser (production - Off, development - On)
# php_flag display_errors Off
# Do not display startup errors (production - Off, development - On)
# php_flag display_startup_errors Off
# Format errors in plain text
# Note: Leave this setting 'On' for xdebug's var_dump() output
# php_flag html_errors Off
# Show multiple occurrence of error
# php_flag ignore_repeated_errors Off
# Show same errors from different sources
# php_flag ignore_repeated_source Off
# Size limit for error messages
# php_value log_errors_max_len 1024
# Don't precede error with string (doesn't accept empty string, use whitespace if you need)
# php_value error_prepend_string " "
# Don't prepend to error (doesn't accept empty string, use whitespace if you need)
# php_value error_append_string " "
# Increase cookie security
<IfModule php5_module>
php_value session.cookie_httponly true
</IfModule>
# ExpressionEngine Rewrite
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteCond $1 !.(\.css|\.js|\.png|\.jpe?g|\.gif|\.ico)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.+)$ index.php/$1 [L]
</IfModule>
This is the first thing I update whenever I inherit a site and looking to optimize it :) Hopefully you find it as helpful as I have!
