How to Configure SSL for Apache on Ubuntu 24.04

To configure SSL for Apache on Ubuntu 24.04, follow these steps:

Step 1 : Ensure your system is up-to-date by running:

sudo apt update

Step 2 : If OpenSSL is not already installed, install it by running:

sudo apt install openssl

Step 3 : Generate a self-signed SSL certificate and private key:

sudo openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 365 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout /etc/ssl/private/example.com.key -out /etc/ssl/certs/example.com.crt

Follow the prompts to provide the necessary information.

Step 4 : Create a new Apache SSL configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/example.com-ssl.conf

Add the following content, replacing example.com with your domain name:

<VirtualHost *:443>
    ServerName example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/example.com

    SSLEngine on
    SSLCertificateFile /etc/ssl/certs/example.com.crt
    SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/ssl/private/example.com.key

    # Other SSL-related configurations can be added here

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Step 5 : Enable the SSL module for Apache:

sudo a2enmod ssl

Step 6 : Enable the SSL configuration file you created:

sudo a2ensite example.com-ssl.conf

Step 7 : Test the Apache configuration for syntax errors:

sudo apache2ctl configtest

Step 8 : If the configuration test is successful, restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 9 : Open a web browser and navigate to your domain using https://example.com. Ignore any warning about the self-signed certificate.

Congratulations! You have successfully configured SSL for Apache on Ubuntu 24.04.