Table of Contents
Introduction Requirements Step 1 — Creating the Directory Structure Step 2 — Creating Virtual Host Files Step 3 — Enabling the Virtual Host Files Conclusion

Configuring Virtual Hosts in Apache

Introduction

Virtual hosts in Apache allow you to run multiple websites on a single server. This setup is essential for managing different sites with separate domain names or directory structures under a single Apache installation.

Requirements

Ensure you have Apache installed on your server and that you have root or sudo privileges to make changes.

Step 1 — Creating the Directory Structure

First, create a directory structure for your website. This helps in organizing your files neatly: 

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

Make sure to replace example.com with your actual domain name.

Step 2 — Creating Virtual Host Files

Next, create a configuration file for your virtual host. This file will define how Apache serves your site: 

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

Add the following content to the file: 

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

Save and close the file.

Step 3 — Enabling the Virtual Host Files

Enable the new virtual host file and reload Apache to apply the changes: 

sudo a2ensite example.com.conf
             sudo systemctl reload apache2

You should now be able to access your site by navigating to your domain name in a web browser.

Conclusion

You've successfully configured a virtual host in Apache. This setup allows you to host multiple websites on a single server, each with its own configuration.