Website Folder Structure and Security

a4udi · 11-01-2008, 05:13 PM

I have noticed that unlike your average site using "page.php" or "page.asp"... a lot of larger financial sites have a folder structure in place in which every file is in it's own folder (or so it appears) and was just curious as to the reasoning behind this or what they are doing to hide the file extensions or present the information in this way? Are they just using a CMS that hides those disguisting looking file names, or is there something else going on?

examples.
https://www.vancity.com/MyMoney/AboutUs/
http://www.hsbc.com/1/2/sustainabili...g-our-progress

_Aerospace_Eng_ · 11-01-2008, 05:38 PM

They are most likely using url-rewrite with htaccess. Look it up. Its a pretty common thing on many forums and blogs.

a4udi · 11-01-2008, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _Aerospace_Eng_

They are most likely using url-rewrite with htaccess. Look it up. Its a pretty common thing on many forums and blogs.

I've used url-rewrite with .htaccess... just more curious about what the advantages are and why this might be a better option?

_Aerospace_Eng_ · 11-01-2008, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a4udi

I've used url-rewrite with .htaccess... just more curious about what the advantages are and why this might be a better option?

For SEO purposes its easier for search engines to get to the pages. Its also easier for the user as the url is meaningful. Something like

http://somesite.com/index.php?pageid...ate=11-11-2008

would be a little cumbersome where as something like

http://somesite.com/11/11/2008/stuff/5/ would be easier to understand.

website_seo · 11-03-2008, 09:43 AM

Basically one should make short urls and use keywords in it.

smlie4 · 05-05-2009, 04:34 AM

I'm just starting out on researching this type of method used for file structure, but what i can't understand is what the file name is supposed to be in the folder? I have checked out a few sites that "a4udi" mentioned I tried typing index.htm, index.php, index.html etc.. after the folder name but I keep getting a 404 page not found code.

A guess would be that there is one file called index in the folder, but how do they stop people from accessing the index file? If it is the htaccess file do they have to manually code htaccess file everytime they create a new folder?

I am warming to this naming conversion and see its SEO advantages as well as it's simplicity in the address bar and also the added advantage that people don't see what page extension is being used.

Thanks a4udi for your posting and to those who replied.

_Aerospace_Eng_ · 05-05-2009, 05:47 AM

They are using index.jsp

There new about page is here: https://www.vancity.com/AboutUs/

They changed their links. The first site likely isn't using htaccess. They are just making folders that contain files for that part of the site. They stick an index.jsp file in there that handles everything.

The HSBC site is likely using htaccess though they don't create one for each url. They have one and the htaccess uses rules to match urls entered by the user.