Install Apache and Set Up a Virtual Host on Ubuntu

What are Apache and a virtual host?

Apache is a program that shows websites to visitors. When someone types your address, Apache sends back the page.

A virtual host is a settings file. It lets one server host many websites. Each website gets its own folder and its own settings.

Steps

Log in to your server with SSH. SSH lets you type commands on a remote computer.
Update the package list.
```
apt update
```
Install Apache.
```
apt install -y apache2
```
Check that Apache is running.
```
systemctl status apache2
```
You should see the word "active".
Make a folder for your site. Replace example.com with your own domain name.
```
mkdir -p /var/www/example.com/public_html
```

Create a test page.

echo "<h1>It works!</h1>" > /var/www/example.com/public_html/index.html

This writes a small web page into the new folder.

Create the virtual host file.

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

Paste this text into the file. Then save and close.

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

The DocumentRoot line tells Apache where your site files live.

Turn the site on.
```
a2ensite example.com.conf
```
Optional: turn off the default welcome site.
```
a2dissite 000-default.conf
```
Test your settings for mistakes.
```
apache2ctl configtest
```
You want to see "Syntax OK".
Reload Apache so it reads the new file.
```
systemctl reload apache2
```
Open your domain in a browser. You should see "It works!".

Tip: Your domain must point to the server's IP address through DNS. DNS is like a phone book that turns a website name into a number. If the page does not load, check your DNS records first. If a firewall is on, allow port 80.

Quick recap

Install Apache with apt install apache2.
Make a folder for each website.
Write one virtual host file per site in /etc/apache2/sites-available/.
Turn it on with a2ensite, test with apache2ctl configtest, then reload.