How do I prevent a directory from being served by Apache?

You may come across the need to access content in your scripts that should not ever be served by Apache. You can prevent Apache from serving the content in a particular directory by denying access in a ".htaccess" file. Using your favorite text editor create a file named ".htaccess". The file should contain a single line that says "deny from all". Content from any folder with such a .htaccess file will not be served by Apache.