Usually, people will set basic authentication for apache directory (normally /var/www/html in centos).
The reason is to protect the directory from unauthorized access.
But what if a subdirectory inside (let say /var/www/html/mydirectory) needs full access? This is where .htaccess file comes into picture.
To allow access to /var/www/html/mydirectory while maintaining authentication for /var/www/html, just follow below steps:
1. Go to /var/www/html/mydirectory
cd /var/www/html/mydirectory
2. Create .htaccess file
touch .htaccess
3. Put below items into that .htaccess file
Allow from all Satisfy Any
4. Restart Apache:
sudo httpd -k graceful
5. Try to access http://servername/mydirectory using your browser. This should give access without a password.