RewriteCond not allowed here / RewriteBase not allowed here – Apache 2.4.7

500 Errors After Upgrade

If when updating your server it starts giving you 500 errors on all your sites and writing “RewriteCond not allowed here” then take a look at these items to fix it.

Firstly, do a quick test by renaming (or deleting) your .htaccess file. If your index page reappears, keep going.

Secondly, Apache would like .conf files instead of .com’s in your /etc/apache2/sites-available directory. So go ahead and rename those files and open them up to inspect the <Directory> settings:

/etc/apache2/sites-available: mv mycoolsite.com mycoolsite.conf
/etc/apache2/sites-available: vim mycoolsite.conf

Inside each config file you will need the following Allow Override (two r’s) for your site’s directory:

<Directory /var/www/>    
        AllowOverride All
</Directory>

If you do not specify All it will default to none.

Now switch dirs and remove the symlinks in sites-enabled, disable and enable your sites:

/etc/apache2/sites-available: cd ../sites-enabled
/etc/apache2/sites-enabled: rm mycoolsite.com
/etc/apache2/sites-enabled: sudo a2dissite mycoolsite.com
/etc/apache2/sites-enabled: sudo a2ensite mycoolsite.conf

Aaaaand restart Apache

/etc/apache2/sites-enabled: sudo service apache2 restart

Revisit your sites now and your 500 errors should have disappeared, and no more errors logged complaining of rewrite directives in .htaccess.

Last updated on September 23rd, 2015