Apache Virtual Hosts allow you to host multiple websites on a single server by using different domains or subdomains. This guide will walk you through configuring Apache virtual hosts on Ubuntu 22.04. Whether you're hosting multiple websites on your local machine or a Windows VPS UK, this tutorial will help you manage multiple sites efficiently.
Step 1: Install Apache Web Server
If Apache is not already installed on your system, you can install it using the following command:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2 -yOnce installed, start and enable Apache to ensure it runs automatically at boot:
sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo systemctl enable apache2Step 2: Create Directory for Each Website
For each website you want to host, create a separate directory in the /var/www/ directory. For example, to host two websites example1.com and example2.com, run the following commands:
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/example1.com/public_html
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/example2.com/public_htmlSet the correct permissions for these directories:
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/www/example1.com/public_html
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/www/example2.com/public_html
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/wwwStep 3: Create a Sample HTML Page
For each website, create a sample HTML page to confirm that the virtual host setup is working. For example:
nano /var/www/example1.com/public_html/index.htmlAdd the following content to the file:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Welcome to Example1.com!</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Success! This is the homepage of Example1.com</h1>
</body>
</html>Repeat the process for example2.com with a similar file.
Step 4: Configure Apache Virtual Hosts
Apache uses configuration files to define virtual hosts. For each domain, create a separate configuration file. For example:
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/example1.com.confAdd the following content to configure the first virtual host:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerAdmin admin@example1.com
ServerName example1.com
ServerAlias www.example1.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/example1.com/public_html
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>Create a similar configuration file for the second website:
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/example2.com.confAdd the following content:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerAdmin admin@example2.com
ServerName example2.com
ServerAlias www.example2.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/example2.com/public_html
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>Save and close the files.
Step 5: Enable the Virtual Hosts
Enable each virtual host configuration file using the a2ensite command:
sudo a2ensite example1.com.conf
sudo a2ensite example2.com.confDisable the default virtual host to avoid conflicts:
sudo a2dissite 000-default.confReload Apache to apply the changes:
sudo systemctl reload apache2Step 6: Set Up Local Hostnames (Optional)
If you're testing the virtual hosts on a local machine, you can modify the /etc/hosts file to simulate DNS resolution:
sudo nano /etc/hostsAdd the following lines:
127.0.0.1 example1.com
127.0.0.1 example2.comSave and close the file. You should now be able to access both websites by navigating to http://example1.com and http://example2.com in your browser.
Step 7: Obtain SSL Certificates with Let's Encrypt (Optional)
To secure your websites with HTTPS, you can use Let's Encrypt to obtain free SSL certificates. First, install Certbot:
sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache -yRun the following command to obtain and install SSL certificates for both domains:
sudo certbot --apache -d example1.com -d www.example1.com
sudo certbot --apache -d example2.com -d www.example2.comCertbot will automatically configure your virtual host files to use the SSL certificates.
