301 redirect using httpd.conf

Question

I read somewhere that using .htaccess for 301 redirect is not recommended and that a better practice will be to use httpd.conf

1. is that true ? why ?
2. can we use regexp in httpd.conf - the same as we do with .htaccess ?

Answer 1

Well, generally speaking .htaccess is just meant for per-directory settings and the httpd.conf for server wide settings . Also accessing the .htaccess file adds some small overhead but that's probably not your concern.

And yes, you can use regular expressions in the httpd.conf