I want to use a .htaccess file to provide password authentication for a directory on my Linux-hosted web site. Apache ships with tool to do this on Unix but I don’t have access to a Unix box, nor shell access to my hosting account.
Is there a Windows-based utility that will generate/maintain a Unix password file?
You can do it online for one user at a time using this page.
You can use the Windows version of the official command-line htpasswd utility by downloading Apache for Windows.
There are also graphical third-party programs, ranging from free open-source utilities to paid commercial apps. If you want other free choices, search for “htpasswd” or “htaccess” on Sourceforge.net; if you want more commercial apps, search for those terms on Google.
Also, did you check your web host’s control panel for a directory protection section? Many hosts – especially ones that don’t give you shell access – already let you do that from the web since it’s such a common need.