No, composer doesn’t create a .htaccess file. In fact, the .htaccess file in the Starterkit is just there to provide a best-practice example.
In cases where you manage the server yourself, you would not use the .htaccess file but move the directives contained in there to your server config file.
Also, the .htaccess file is only relevant for Apache web servers. For all other web server, including Nginx, it is of no use, and you would have to create similar rules in your nginx.conf file.