DevOps Tools
Tools for reviewing server and deployment configuration, starting with Apache .htaccess files, rewrite rules and redirects.
Available devops tools
.htaccess Analyzer
Analyze Apache .htaccess configuration, rewrite rules, redirects, security settings and common server issues.
Cron Builder
Build, validate and explain cron expressions, preview run times by timezone, and check dialect compatibility.
What devops tools cover
DevOps tooling here means the unglamorous configuration that decides whether a deployment behaves: server settings, redirects, rewrite rules, access controls and schedules. Mistakes in these files tend to fail quietly, with a redirect loop, a missing header, a rule that never matches or a job that runs at the wrong time, and they are awkward to test on a live server.
Two tools are live. The .htaccess Analyzer for Apache reads a file and reports what the rules do, where they conflict and which parts depend on server settings it cannot see. The Cron Builder builds, validates and explains cron schedules for Unix cron, Kubernetes, Quartz, Spring and AWS EventBridge, and previews the real run times in the timezone you choose. More configuration tools are planned and are listed below as not yet available.
Common tasks
- Check a rewrite rule or redirect before uploading it to a live server.
- Find rules that create redirect chains or loops.
- Review caching, compression, access-control and security-header directives in an .htaccess file.
- Build a cron schedule, check what an existing expression means and see its next run times in a given timezone.
- Check whether a cron expression is valid for Quartz, Spring, Kubernetes or EventBridge, or whether it needs converting.
Who uses these tools
- Developers and site owners on Apache or shared hosting
- Engineers migrating a site and carrying redirects across
- Anyone debugging an .htaccess file that stopped working
- Developers and administrators who schedule jobs with cron, Kubernetes CronJobs, Quartz, Spring or EventBridge
When to use each tool
- .htaccess Analyzer
- Use it on an .htaccess file to see what each rule does, spot syntax and logic problems, and understand which behaviour depends on the server.
- Cron Builder
- Use it to build a cron expression visually or paste one to see what it means, which dialect it fits and when it will run next in a chosen timezone.
Related guides
Background reading for the tools above.
What Is .htaccess? A Practical Guide for Apache Sites
A per-directory configuration file for Apache: what it can do, where it stops working, and how to avoid the usual mistakes.
Published
Apache Rewrite Rules Explained: RewriteRule, RewriteCond and Flags
Understand how RewriteRule and RewriteCond fit together, what the flags do, and why per-directory rules behave differently.
Published
Cron Syntax Explained: A Complete Guide to Cron Expressions
What each cron field means, how ranges and steps are matched, and how to read an expression without guessing.
Published
Five-Field vs. Six-Field Cron Expressions
The number of fields does not identify a cron dialect. Here is what changes between schedulers and why you cannot just add or drop a field.
Published
What Are Redirect Chains? Causes, Impact and How to Fix Them
Several hops where one would do: how redirect chains form, what they cost, and how to find and fix them.
Published
Planned tools
Not available yet.
- Regex Tester
- Docker Compose Validator
- Kubernetes YAML Validator
- Nginx Config Validator
Frequently asked questions
- Can the .htaccess Analyzer tell me if my rules will work on my server?
- Not for certain. It analyses the file itself. Whether .htaccess is honoured, which modules are loaded and what AllowOverride permits depend on your server and hosting, and the analyzer says where a result depends on that.
- Does it work for Nginx?
- No. Nginx does not read .htaccess files. The analyzer is specific to Apache configuration.
- Is my .htaccess file uploaded?
- No. The file is analysed in your browser. Avoid pasting files that contain passwords or private paths unless you need to.
- Does the Cron Builder schedule or run my jobs?
- No. It only analyses the expression: it explains it, lists the next run times and checks compatibility. Nothing is scheduled, executed or uploaded; copy the expression into your own crontab, manifest or application.
- What other DevOps tools are planned?
- Validators for configuration formats and a few developer helpers are planned. They are listed on this page and in the tool directory as not available yet.