The .htaccess file is a server-read configuration file. It is capable of overriding several security settings for servers and can be used for authorization, cache management, optimization of websites and rewriting of URLs.
In WordPress, the .htaccess format is most widely used by humans and search engines to rewrite URLs, making them simpler and more readable.
You have the option to pick the URL structure in the Settings > Permalinks section of WordPress Administration. In order to manage the URL structure you pick, WordPress will immediately rewrite your .htaccess code.
If it is not easy for WordPress to write to a file, it will ask you to do it manually. It is unsafe to manually edit the .htaccess file, since if installed incorrectly, it will cause big server errors, so make careful to just copy the contents that WordPress tells you to.
In order to customise the caching and optimization resources that are part of the plugin, plugins such as W3 Max Cache can change the .htaccess file.
The .htaccess file is typically found in your WordPress site’s root directory. You will not be able to display it to your FTP client since all files and directory names beginning with a time are assumed to be covered by the server by default. You need to allow the Display Hidden Files feature on your FTP client to access these hidden files.
