How to Set Up Apache Virtual Hosts on Ubuntu 22.04: A Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction:

Apache is one of the most popular web servers used to host websites on the internet. Virtual Hosts in Apache allow you to host multiple websites on a single server, each with its own domain name and configuration. In this article, we will guide you through the process of setting up Apache Virtual Hosts on Ubuntu 22.04, enabling you to host multiple websites on a single server.

Step 1: Install Apache:

Before setting up Virtual Hosts, ensure that Apache is installed on your Ubuntu 22.04 server. If it is not already installed, you can install it using the following command:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2

Step 2: Create Directory Structure:

Next, you need to create a directory structure to store the website files for each Virtual Host. By convention, the websites are stored in the /var/www directory. Create a directory for each website using the following command:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/example.com/public_html

Replace example.com with the domain name of your website.

Step 3: Grant Permissions:

To ensure Apache has the necessary permissions to access the website files, change the ownership of the directories to the Apache user:

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

Step 4: Create Virtual Host Configuration:

Navigate to the Apache sites-available directory to create a Virtual Host configuration file:

cd /etc/apache2/sites-available
sudo cp 000-default.conf example.com.conf

Open the Virtual Host configuration file using a text editor:

sudo nano example.com.conf

Update the configuration file with the following content:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName example.com
    ServerAlias www.example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/example.com/public_html

    <Directory /var/www/example.com/public_html>
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>

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

Save and close the file.

Step 5: Enable the Virtual Host:

Enable the Virtual Host by creating a symbolic link to the sites-enabled directory:

sudo a2ensite example.com.conf

Step 6: Disable the Default Host:

Disable the default Apache Virtual Host to avoid conflicts:

sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf

Step 7: Restart Apache:

Finally, restart the Apache service for the changes to take effect:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Conclusion:

Congratulations! You have successfully set up Apache Virtual Hosts on Ubuntu 22.04. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can host multiple websites on a single server, each with its own domain name and configuration. Remember to repeat the steps for each additional Virtual Host you want to set up. Apache Virtual Hosts provide a flexible and efficient way to manage and serve multiple websites, making it an essential feature for web hosting environments.