A "handler" is an internal Apache representation of the action to be performed when a file is called. Generally, files have implicit handlers, based on the file type. ... Either based on filename extensions or on location, these handlers are unrelated to file type. This is advantageous both because it is a more elegant solution, but it also allows for both a type and a handler to be associated with a file (See also Files with Multiple Extensions ) . ... Syntax: SetHandler handler-name . ...