Webmaster in a Nutshell, Third Edition

Name

Alias

Synopsis

                     Alias 
                     symbolic_path 
                     real_path
                  

[server config, within <VirtualHost>]

Creates a virtual name or directory by mapping a symbolic path that is used in a URL to a real path on the server. Aliasing is useful for organizing server documents, keeping URLs simpler for users, and hiding the structure of a filesystem. For example, the icon directory is aliased in the default configuration file:

Alias /icons /usr/local/etc/httpd/icons

With this setting, a request for /icons/image.gif is handled by sending back the file /usr/local/etc/httpd/icons/image.gif. If you specify a trailing slash on the symbolic path, the client must also enter that slash for the alias to take effect.