Short answer: The Home Folder page in your control panel sets which folder your site is served from — or redirects the whole site to another address. The same page holds the permissions (write access, directory browsing, parent paths, isolated application pool), the authentication options (anonymous, Integrated Windows, Basic) and compression.
Applies to: Infosaic Windows web hosting · shared servers · web server advanced properties
This one page controls more of how your site behaves than any other in the control panel, which is why it repays a few minutes of reading rather than clicking.
It does two quite different jobs. The first is simple: point the site at a folder, or send the whole thing somewhere else. The second is a set of switches that decide what the server will and will not allow inside that folder.
Where your site is served from — and redirecting it
Specify the folder in your hosting space that the site should be served from, or redirect the entire site to another URL.
The redirect is more useful than it first looks. If you need to take the site offline to work on it, pointing it at another available location is a clean way to do that — visitors see something deliberate rather than a broken site or an error. When you are finished, point it back.
It is an all-or-nothing redirect: the whole site goes, not individual pages.
Security settings for the folder
- Enable Write Permissions. Needed for a folder your application writes to — a database folder is the usual case. Do not enable it on the whole site.
- Enable Directory Browsing. Makes the server list your files when no default document is present. Normally used only in password-protected or extranet folders where files are meant to be shared.
- Enable Parent Paths. Allows code to reference folders above the current one. Some older applications require it.
- Dedicated/Isolated Application Pool. Isolates your site’s processes from the other sites on the server, which is a higher level of isolation on shared hosting. Included with all hosting except Basic Hosting.
Directory browsing on a public folder exposes everything in it. Anyone can then read the file names, and often the files. Turn it on deliberately, in a specific folder, for a specific reason — and turn it off again afterwards.
Authentication — who is allowed in
- Allow Anonymous Access. Gives visitors access to the public parts of your web or FTP site without being asked for a user name or password. It is enabled by default and should not be disabled unless the site genuinely is not meant to be reached by the general public.
- Enable Integrated Windows Authentication. Signs users in using their existing Windows credentials.
- Enable Basic Authentication. Requires users to have valid accounts on the server or domain. If anonymous access is switched off, this is what prompts visitors for a user ID and password.
The pairing matters: turning anonymous access off without enabling one of the other two leaves nobody able to reach the site at all.
Compression and default documents
Compression has two switches — dynamic and static. Both reduce how much data is sent to each visitor, which mostly shows up as faster loading on slower connections.
Default documents are listed here too: the page served when somebody visits a folder without naming a file. The main extensions are listed by default, and you can add more in the field provided, one per line. This is covered in more detail in its own article.
Questions and answers
What does the Home Folder setting do?
It sets which folder in your hosting space the site is served from, or redirects the whole site to another URL.
Can I take my site offline temporarily?
Yes. Redirect the whole site to another available location while you work, then point it back.
When should I enable write permissions?
Only on a folder your application needs to write to, such as a database folder — not on the whole site.
What is directory browsing?
It makes the server list the files in a folder when there is no default document. It is intended for shared or protected folders, not public ones.
What is a dedicated application pool?
It isolates your site’s processes from other sites on a shared server. It is included with all hosting except Basic Hosting.
Should I turn off anonymous access?
Only if the site is not meant to be reachable by the general public. If you do, enable Basic or Integrated Windows Authentication as well, or nobody can get in.
What does Basic Authentication do?
It prompts visitors for a user ID and password, which must match a valid account on the server or domain.
What does enabling compression change?
Less data is sent to each visitor, so pages load faster, particularly on slow connections.
Related articles
- Setting your default document
- Creating virtual directories
- Setting up custom error pages
- Stopping and restarting your website
- Checking which extensions your server supports
- How do I contact tech support?
Still stuck?
Open a support ticket from your hosting control panel at controlpanel.infosaic.com — that is the fastest route, because it reaches the team who can already see your account. You can also email [email protected].