Is it possible to deny access to files and folders within the web root without using .htaccess or file permissions? A universal solution that works with all servers?
This relates to a flat-file framework I'm making with PHP where the requirement is basically "drag the project folder in the web root to launch the site." The other goal is for there to be a front-end interface where the client can log in and edit content.
I deal a lot with shared hosting accounts where I can't always change the web root. Additionally, I don't necessarily want to rely on developers manually setting file permissions. The reason why I don't want to use .htaccess is that, one, it relies on the host being an Apache server, and, two, it relies on specific Apache settings.
EDIT: specificity