# Using mod\_rewrite to add 'www' to urls **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [May 17, 2007, 10:35pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-mod-rewrite-to-add-www-to-urls/104437 "2007-05-17T22:35:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dewie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@dewie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dewie)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2007, 10:35pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-mod-rewrite-to-add-www-to-urls/104437/1 "2007-05-17T22:35:15Z")
Hi guys. I’m using the following rule to point users to [www.mydomain.com](http://www.mydomain.com) instead of [mydomain.com](http://mydomain.com). RewriteEngine On RewriteCond %{HTTP\_HOST} !^www.mydomain.com$ RewriteRule ^(.\*)$ [http://www.mydomain.com/$1](http://www.mydomain.com/$1) [R=301,QSA,L] But it doesn’t work. Accessing [mydomain.com](http://mydomain.com) yields just that. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![dewie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@dewie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dewie)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2007, 10:50pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-mod-rewrite-to-add-www-to-urls/104437/2 "2007-05-17T22:50:30Z")
On 5/17/07, Daniel W. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Hi guys. I’m using the following rule to point users to [www.mydomain.com](http://www.mydomain.com) > instead of [mydomain.com](http://mydomain.com). > > RewriteEngine On > RewriteCond %{HTTP\_HOST} !^www.mydomain.com$ > RewriteRule ^(.\*)$ [http://www.mydomain.com/$1](http://www.mydomain.com/$1) [R=301,QSA,L] > > But it doesn’t work. Accessing [mydomain.com](http://mydomain.com) yields just that. Here’s a working version I have on my laptop: RewriteCond %{HTTP\_HOST} ^localhost$ [NC] RewriteRule ^(.\*)$ [http://www.localhost/$1](http://www.localhost/$1) [L,R=301] – Greg D. [http://destiney.com/](http://destiney.com/) ---
**Author:** ![dewie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@dewie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dewie)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2007, 10:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-mod-rewrite-to-add-www-to-urls/104437/3 "2007-05-17T22:56:35Z")
Greg D. wrote: > RewriteCond %{HTTP\_HOST} ^localhost$ [NC] > RewriteRule ^(.\*)$ [http://www.localhost/$1](http://www.localhost/$1) [L,R=301] Nay, still not working. No errors, no time outs, httpd restarts okay. It just doesn’t write ‘www’ into the address bar. Initially I was putting these rules right above my vhost directive. I then tried moving it into my vhost directive directly beneath the RewriteEngine On part. =( ---
**Author:** ![dewie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@dewie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dewie)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2007, 11:09pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-mod-rewrite-to-add-www-to-urls/104437/4 "2007-05-17T23:09:31Z")
On 5/17/07, Daniel W. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > RewriteEngine On part. > Yeah, you have to use those rules first or some other rules might fire > first instead. Does this help? RewriteLogLevel 9 RewriteLog logs/rewrite.log – Greg D. [http://destiney.com/](http://destiney.com/) ---
**Author:** ![dewie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@dewie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dewie)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2007, 11:53pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-mod-rewrite-to-add-www-to-urls/104437/5 "2007-05-17T23:53:05Z")
Greg D. wrote: > Does this help? > > RewriteLogLevel 9 > RewriteLog logs/rewrite.log Nay. I assume it would create the logs directory if it didn’t already exist? It doesn’t. By the way, I dig your site. 🙂 Hi guest. I thought about that before posting, but I figured I would post here in case anyone using Rails has come across some weirdness with Rails and mod\_rewrite. Alas, your suggestion is valid, and I shall go find an Apache tribe to talk to. ---
**Author:** ![dewie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@dewie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dewie)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2007, 11:40pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-mod-rewrite-to-add-www-to-urls/104437/6 "2007-05-17T23:40:38Z")
post.gsub!(/RoR: Talk/, “Apache: Talk”) On May 17, 1:35 pm, Daniel W. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![dewie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@dewie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dewie)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2007, 11:59pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-mod-rewrite-to-add-www-to-urls/104437/7 "2007-05-17T23:59:40Z")
> Greg D. wrote: > > > Does this help? > > > > RewriteLogLevel 9 > > RewriteLog logs/rewrite.log > > Nay. I assume it would create the logs directory if it didn’t already > exist? It doesn’t. No, it won’t create the logs directory if it doesn’t exist… ---
**Author:** ![dewie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@dewie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dewie)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2007, 12:42am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-mod-rewrite-to-add-www-to-urls/104437/8 "2007-05-18T00:42:46Z")
On 5/17/07, Daniel W. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Greg D. wrote: > > > Does this help? > > > > RewriteLogLevel 9 > > RewriteLog logs/rewrite.log > > Nay. I assume it would create the logs directory if it didn’t already > exist? It doesn’t. I always have to make an explicit entry to get rewrite logs. > By the way, I dig your site. 🙂 Thanks. It’s just a little something I threw together one afternoon. 🙂 – Greg D. [http://destiney.com/](http://destiney.com/) ---
**Author:** ![dewie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@dewie](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dewie)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2007, 2:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/using-mod-rewrite-to-add-www-to-urls/104437/9 "2007-05-18T14:02:08Z")
Out of curiosity, why would you want to make the canonical URI have www appended to it? For me, it seems so antiquated like ooooh double u double u double u dot … That’s just me though. I’m legitimately curious about any benefits [perceived or actual] for the extra www. RSL