Apache HTTP Server Version 2.4

Apache > HTTP Server > Documentation > Version 2.4 > Modules

# Apache Module mod_speling

Description: | Attempts to correct mistaken URLs by ignoring capitalization, or attempting to correct various minor misspellings.
Status: | Extension
Module Identifier: | speling_module
Source File: | mod_speling.c

### Summary

Requests to documents sometimes cannot be served by the core apache server because the request was misspelled or miscapitalized. This module addresses this problem by trying to find a matching document, even after all other modules gave up. It does its work by comparing each document name in the requested directory against the requested document name without regard to case, and allowing up to one misspelling (character insertion / omission / transposition or wrong character). A list is built with all document names which were matched using this strategy. Erroneous extension can also be fixed by this module.

If, after scanning the directory,

- no matching document was found, Apache will proceed as usual and return an error (`404 - document not found`).
- only one document is found that "almost" matches the request, then it is returned in the form of a redirection response (`301 - Moved Permanently`).
- more than one document with a close match was found, then the list of the matches is returned to the client, and the client can select the correct candidate (`300 - Multiple Choices`).

### Directives

### Bugfix checklist

- httpd changelog
- Known issues
- Report a bug

## CheckBasenameMatch Directive

Description: | Also match files with differing file name extensions.
Syntax: | `CheckBasenameMatch on|off`
Default: | `CheckBasenameMatch On`
Context: | server config, virtual host, directory, .htaccess
Override: | Options
Status: | Extension
Module: | mod_speling
Compatibility: | Available in httpd 2.4.50 and later

When set, this directive extends the action of the spelling correction to the file name extension. For example a file `foo.gif` will match a request for `foo` or `foo.jpg`. This can be particularly useful in conjunction with MultiViews.

## CheckCaseOnly Directive

Description: | Limits the action of the speling module to case corrections
Syntax: | `CheckCaseOnly on|off`
Default: | `CheckCaseOnly Off`
Context: | server config, virtual host, directory, .htaccess
Override: | Options
Status: | Extension
Module: | mod_speling

When set, this directive limits the action of the spelling correction to lower/upper case changes. Other potential corrections are not performed, except when `CheckBasenameMatch` is also set.

## CheckSpelling Directive

Description: | Enables the spelling module
Syntax: | `CheckSpelling on|off`
Default: | `CheckSpelling Off`
Context: | server config, virtual host, directory, .htaccess
Override: | Options
Status: | Extension
Module: | mod_speling

This directive enables or disables the spelling module. When enabled, keep in mind that

- the directory scan which is necessary for the spelling correction will have an impact on the server's performance when many spelling corrections have to be performed at the same time.
- the document trees should not contain sensitive files which could be matched inadvertently by a spelling "correction".
- the module is unable to correct misspelled user names (as in `http://my.host/~apahce/`), just file names or directory names.
- spelling corrections apply strictly to existing files, so a request for the `<Location /status>` may get incorrectly treated as the negotiated file "`/stats.html`".

`mod_speling` should not be enabled in DAV enabled directories, because it will try to "spell fix" newly created resource names against existing filenames, e.g., when trying to upload a new document `doc43.html` it might redirect to an existing document `doc34.html`, which is not what was intended.