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How to get Apache to parse HTML files as PHP

PHP is a language that is parsed and interpreted by the Apache web server. That is, all code execution takes place on the server side, not on the client side.

By default, Apache only parses files ending in extension .php as PHP files. If you need to tell Apache to also process files with other extensions as PHP files, you need to add a special handler to the Apache config files. Problem is, most individuals on shared hosting setups don’t have access to these files. Fortunately, there is a way around this.

To tell Apache to parse HTML files just like it does PHP files, you need only create a file called .htaccess (note the dot) in your root web directory. In that file, include the following line:

AddType application/x-httpd-php .html

It’s that simple!