Apache Web Service#

Service Name#

• apache2 (Ubuntu/Debian)
• httpd (CentOS/RHEL)

Check Service Status#

systemctl status apache2    # Ubuntu
systemctl status httpd      # CentOS

Configuration Locations#

Main config: /etc/apache2/ (Ubuntu) or /etc/httpd/ (CentOS)

Key files:

• /etc/apache2/apache2.conf - Main configuration
• /etc/apache2/sites-available/ - Available site configs
• /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/ - Active site configs (usually symlinks)

Default Site Configuration#

File: /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf

Key directives:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html
    # ... other settings
</VirtualHost>

• Listen port: Default is *:80 (any IP, port 80)
• DocumentRoot: /var/www/html - where website files live

Website File Location#

Website files go in: /var/www/html

Default file: index.html (or index.php)

The web server automatically serves index.html when you visit the root URL.

Start/Restart Service#

sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Creating Website Content#

Make directories:

sudo mkdir /var/www/html/newfolder

Create files:

sudo touch /var/www/html/newfile.html

Permission Requirements: Web server needs read permissions to serve files.

Security Considerations#

• Don't put sensitive files (like /etc/shadow) in /var/www/html
• Check permissions - files need to be readable by web server
• Backup config files before making changes
• The website displays actual files from the server's filesystem

Common Issues#

1. Service not starting: Check config file syntax
2. Can't access website: Verify service is running, check IP/port
3. 404 errors: Check DocumentRoot path and file permissions
4. Permission denied: Files need world-readable permissions for web server access