Question Upstream Apache directive blocking .htaccess file directives

[Bod]

Server operating system version

Debian 12

Plesk version and microupdate number

Version 18.0.59 Update #2

I have a .htaccess file that uses the RewriteEngine but as soon as I set this to on, I get a 403 error.

This entry is in the /etc/apache2/apache2.conf file:

<Directory /var/www/>
    <Files ~ (\.pl$)>
        SetHandler cgi-script
        Options ExecCGI
        allow from all
    </Files>
    AddHandler cgi-script .pl
    Options ExecCGI Indexes FollowSymLinks SymLinksIfOwnerMatch
    AllowOverride All
    Require all granted
</Directory>

The error log shows Options FollowSymLinks and SymLinksIfOwnerMatch are both off, so the RewriteRule directive is also forbidden due to its similar ability to circumvent directory restrictions which doesn't make sense to me. In the conf file we are setting FollowSymLinks and SymLinksIfOwnerMatch so what are they being reported as being off?

I have restarted Apache after making the changes to the conf file.
Any suggestions what else I should be looking at?

I have limited knowledge of Apache so any feedback on the above directive would be appreciated as well as some help troubleshooting the .htaccess file

 

[Peter Debik]

You'll for sure need to remove "FollowSymlinks" and only leave "SymLinksIfOwnerMatch", because by default symbolic links are only allowed for the same owner. If you have the normal "FollowSymlinks" in the statement, it will fail.

About the other entries: I do not know more. 403 is a permission issue. It could either result from the Handler (which might not exist) or it could be ModSecurity interfering with a request. It is also possible that the physical file permissions don't allow access.

 

[Bod]

Thanks Peter.

I am pretty sure it is not a permission error on the .htaccess file. Apache must be able to open it to generate the error it gives! Besides, if I take out the contents of the file and just leave a blank file, the 403 error goes. So it's what is in the file that is clashing with the upstream directives rather than the file itself.

I've taken out FollowSymlinks from the conf file as you suggested, but no change to the behaviour.

 

[Peter Debik]

I didn't mean to say it's a permission issue with the .htaccess file, but that it could be an issue with the file permissions of files that are addressed by a request.

 

[Bod]

it could be an issue with the file permissions of files that are addressed by a request

Could it as the files are correctly served when the .htaccess is removed/renamed?

 

[Bod]

We have still made no progress with this problem.
Has anyone else seen a similar issue? How did you solve it?