When providing digital downloads, such as ebooks or mp3s, a common issue is protecting those files from direct downloads and hot linking. If your downloads require purchase, a license to be obtained, or you just want to keep tabs, you can restrict access to these files using Apache's .htaccess configuration files. The control achieved through .htaccess will allow you to set file permissions on a per-directory basis.

The new tutorial, Protect Downloadable Files with .htaccess Rules, walks you through a straightforward method of keeping your digital downloads under your jurisdiction through .htaccess rules.