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Syntax: <Files filename> ... </Files>
Context: server config, virtual host, .htaccess
Status: core
Compatibility: only available in Apache 1.2 and above.

The <Files> directive provides for access control by filename. It is comparable to the <Directory> directive and <Location> directives. It should be matched with a </Files> directive. The directives given within this section will be applied to any object with a basename (last component of filename) matching the specified filename. `<Files>` sections are processed in the order they appear in the configuration file, after the <Directory> sections and `.htaccess` files are read, but before <Location> sections. Note that <Files> can be nested inside <Directory> sections to restrict the portion of the filesystem they apply to.

The filename argument should include a filename, or a wild-card string, where `?' matches any single character, and `*' matches any sequences of characters. Extended regular expressions can also be used, with the addition of the `~` character. For example:

       <Files ~ "\\\\.(gif|jpe?g|png)\$">

would match most common Internet graphics formats. In Apache 1.3 and later, <FilesMatch> is preferred, however.

Note that unlike `<Directory>` and `<Location>` sections, `<Files>` sections can be used inside .htaccess files. This allows users to control access to their own files, at a file-by-file level.

See also: How Directory, Location and Files sections work for an explanation of how these different sections are combined when a request is received