[AutoSSL] Local HTTP DCV error 404 (not found) - .htaccess directives

Symptoms

AutoSSL fails to validate local HTTP DCV and returns a 404 error:

CONFIG_TEXT: Local HTTP DCV error (domain.tld): The system queried for a temporary
file at “http://domain.tld/.well-known/.well-known/pki-validation/C0929066B92E85D215CD309A63D21F36.txt”, 
but the web server responded with the following error: 404 (Not Found). A DNS (Domain 
Name System) or web server misconfiguration may exist.

Cause

Conflicting directives in the domain's .htaccess file can cause problems when attempting to resolve specific files on the account. Working with the domain's Administrator to review the .htaccess directives may help to prevent the issue in the future, but the file can be temporarily moved to allow proper resolution during the AutoSSL run.

Resolution

1. Access the server using SSH as the root user and navigate to the domain's document root folder.

   Note: The paths in the commands below are demonstrative and will need to be updated to the real paths on your server.

2. Move the .htaccess file to a temporary name:

   # mv -v /path/to/.htaccess{,.temp}

3. Run the AutoSSL check again for the user:

   # /usr/local/cpanel/bin/autossl_check --user $username

4. Once the SSL is installed, place the .htaccess file back where it came from:

   # mv -v /path/to/.htaccess.temp /path/to/.htaccess