.htaccess - Domain doesn't work without `www`

Question

When I type in my domain name like without the www (like http://example.com), it doesn't work and gives error message. However, when I add the www to it (like http://www.example.com), it works.

Isn't it supposed to work both ways (with and without the www)?

Answer 1

All you need is to add the following code to your root .htaccess file:

RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www.
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L]