# Access Control by URL

## The `<Location>` Directive

Syntax: <Location URL prefix>
Context: server config, virtual host
Status: core

The <Location> directive provides for access control by URL. It is comparable to the <Directory> directive, and should be matched with a </Location> directive. Directives that apply to the URL given should be listen within. `<Location>` sections are processed in the order they appear in the configuration file, after the <Directory> sections and `.htaccess` files are read.

Note that, due to the way HTTP functions, URL prefix should, save for proxy requests, be of the form `/path/`, and should not include the `http://servername`. It doesn't necessarily have to protect a directory (it can be an individual file, or a number of files), and can include wild-cards. In a wild-card string, `?' matches any single character, and `*' matches any sequences of characters.

This functionality is especially useful when combined with the `SetHandler` directive. For example, to enable status requests, but allow them only from browsers at foo.com, you might use:

        <Location /status>
        SetHandler server-status
        order deny,allow
        deny from all
        allow from .foo.com
        </Location>