Apache DirectoryMatch selects Directories and Files!

Hello,

I have these directories and files for testing purpose:

Code:

/testingg.php
/testingg/
/testingg/test.php

I'm using the following directives to restrict access to specific user directories, the file "/testingg.php" should be accessed and work normally but the directory "/testingg/" supposed to be protected and accessing not allowed.

Code:

<DirectoryMatch "^/var/www/clients/.*/.*/web/(testingg)/?">
  # Prevent the user from overriding these settings
  AllowOverride None
   
  Order deny,allow
  Deny from all
</DirectoryMatch>

Case 1:
In this case accessing the dirs & files get the results

Code:

/testingg.php       [ERROR 403 - Forbidden!]  <---<<  Wrong
/testingg/         [ERROR 403 - Forbidden!]
/testingg         [ERROR 403 - Forbidden!]
/testingg/test.php     [ERROR 403 - Forbidden!]

The first result is unexpected, wrong and isn't reasonable at all because we use "DirectoryMatch" directive and this is a file!

Case 2:
If I add "$" to the end of the RegEx to be like this :

Code:

<DirectoryMatch "^/var/www/clients/.*/.*/web/(testingg)/?$">

The results are:

Code:

/testingg.php       [Working]
/testingg/         [Working]  <---<<  Wrong
/testingg         [Working]  <---<<  Wrong
/testingg/test.php     [Working]  <---<<  Wrong

The 2nd, 3rd & 4th results are wrong of course. although the syntax seems to be right.

Case 3:

If I remove the "?" from the end of the (original code) RegEx to be like this :

Code:

<DirectoryMatch "^/var/www/clients/.*/.*/web/(testingg)/">

The results are:

Code:

/testingg.php       [Working]
/testingg/         [ERROR 403 - Forbidden!]
/testingg         [ERROR 403 - Forbidden!]
/testingg/test.php     [ERROR 403 - Forbidden!]

All the results are right although the eliminated question mark supposed to mean if the slash exists or not, which is logically right.

I can't understand what is happening.
Why "DirectoryMatch" would select files too ?
Why removeing the "?" solve the problem ?
The DirectoryMatch directive RegEx in case 1 and 2 looks better than the one in case 3, but the the one in case 3 is the only one that works right.


Test Environment:

Server version: Apache/2.4.18 (Ubuntu-16.04)

 

Any thoughts ?

 

Well, this is what apache has to say about the DirectoryMatch directive:

So it seems that both case 1 and case 2 are not acceptable with the "/?" notation and case 3 is actually the correct way to write it (eventhough it's still weird it would give 403 on the rootfile)