Ubuntu Server 23.10

How to Set Up Apache virtual host on Ubuntu 23.10

Setting up Apache virtual hosts on Ubuntu 23.10 allows you to host multiple websites on a single server. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to create and configure Apache virtual hosts:

Step 1 : Create the Document Root Directory:

First, create the directory where you will store the files for your virtual host. This will typically be within the /var/www/ directory:

sudo mkdir /var/www/example.com

Step 2 : Assign Permissions:

Assign appropriate permissions to the directory:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/example.com

Step 3 : Create a Simple HTML File:

Create a simple HTML file to test your virtual host:

sudo nano /var/www/example.com/index.html

Add some content:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Welcome to example.com</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Success! The virtual host is working!</h1>
</body>
</html>

Save the file.

Step 4 : Create a Virtual Host Configuration:

Create a new virtual host configuration file in the /etc/apache2/sites-available/ directory. You can use a text editor of your choice, such as Nano:

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

Add the following configuration, replacing example.com with your domain or chosen hostname:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerAdmin webmaster@example.com
    ServerName example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/example.com
    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

- ServerAdmin: The email address of the server administrator.

- ServerName: The domain or hostname associated with the virtual host.

- DocumentRoot: The directory where the website files are stored.

- ErrorLog and CustomLog: Log file locations.

Step 5 : Enable the Virtual Host:

Enable the virtual host configuration by creating a symbolic link to the sites-enabled directory:

sudo a2ensite example.com.conf

Step 6 : Restart Apache:

Restart the Apache service to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 7 : Update Hosts File (Optional):

If you're testing on the local machine, you can update the /etc/hosts file to map the domain name to your server's IP address:

sudo nano /etc/hosts

Add a line like this:

127.0.0.1   example.com

Step 8 : Test Your Virtual Host:

Open a web browser and navigate to http://example.com. You should see the content you added to the index.html file.

You've successfully set up an Apache virtual host on Ubuntu 23.10. Repeat these steps for additional virtual hosts as needed.