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Discover How to Setup Apache Virtual Hosts on Ubuntu VPS! This article provides a guide demonstrating how to setup Apache virtual hosts on Ubuntu VPS. This guide walks you through creating multiple websites (virtual hosts) on a single Ubuntu VPS server using Apache. It covers HTTP, optional HTTPS with Let’s Encrypt, and common gotchas (and workarounds to resolve). Before we learn how to setup Apache virtual hosts on Ubuntu VPS, let's take a brief moment to understand Apache virtual hosts. What are Apache Virtual Hosts? Apache Virtual Hosts (often called vhosts) are a feature of the Apache HTTP Server that allow you to run multiple websites on a single server. Instead of needing a separate server (or IP address) for each site, you can configure Apache to “host” multiple domains and applications from one machine. Key Concepts Domain-based (Name-based) Virtual Hosts Most common type. Multiple domains (e.g., example.com, mysite.com) share the same IP address. Apache decides which website to serve based on the Host header sent by the browser. IP-based Virtual Hosts Each site has a unique IP address. Less common now (since IPv4 addresses are limited), but sometimes used for legacy apps or SSL setups before SNI (Server Name Indication). Port-based Virtual Hosts Different sites run on different ports of the same server (e.g., example.com:8080 vs example.com:9090). Usually used for internal services rather than public websites. How They Work When a request comes in: The browser sends the domain name in the HTTP request (Host header). Apache matches it with the ServerName or ServerAlias in the virtual host configuration. Apache serves the site from the specified DocumentRoot (the folder containing the website’s files). Benefits Host multiple domains/websites on a single server. Isolate websites into different directories. Configure separate logs, security rules, and SSL certificates per site. Reduce infrastructure costs by consolidating hosting. Prerequisites Before we can setup Apache virtual hosts on Ubuntu VPS, we must ensure the following environmental variables are met: VPS Server with fresh install of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat) Root-equivalent (sudo) privileges Basic understanding of the SSH command line Domain name pointed to your server's IP address How to Setup Apache Virtual Hosts on Ubuntu VPS 🛠️ To setup Apache virtual hosts on Ubuntu VPS, follow the steps outlined below: Replace example.com everywhere with your actual domain. Install & Verify Apache 🔧 sudo apt update sudo apt install -y apache2 apache2ctl -v # Should show Apache/2.4.x Enable on boot and start: sudo systemctl enable --now apache2 sudo systemctl status apache2 Open the firewall (if UFW is enabled): sudo ufw allow 'Apache' sudo ufw status Create a Document Root Per Site We’ll keep code under /var/www/public_html. sudo mkdir -p /var/www/example.com/public_html sudo chown -R $USER:www-data /var/www/example.com sudo chmod -R 750 /var/www/example.com Drop in a quick test page: cat /var/www/example.com/public_html/index.html example.com Hello from example.com 🎉 HTML (Repeat these steps for each site you host, e.g., secondsite.com.) Create a Virtual Host File Apache keeps site configs in /etc/apache2/sites-available/. Create one per domain: sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/example.com.conf Paste this minimal, production-friendly vhost for HTTP (port 80): ServerName example.com ServerAlias www.example.com ServerAdmin webmaster@example.com DocumentRoot /var/www/example.com/public_html Options -Indexes +FollowSymLinks AllowOverride None Require all granted ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example.com_error.log CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example.com_access.log combined # Optional: If you later enable HTTP/2 globally #Protocols h3 h3c http/1.1 If you rely on .htaccess (e.g., for WordPress), set AllowOverride All instead of None and enable mod_rewrite (next step). Enable Site & Common Modules # Enable the site sudo a2ensite example.com.conf # (Optional) If you’ll use .htaccess or redirects/rewrite rules sudo a2enmod rewrite # (Optional) Security and caching helpers you’ll likely want sudo a2enmod headers expires # Disable the default site to avoid collisions (optional but recommended) sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf # Check syntax and reload sudo apache2ctl configtest sudo systemctl reload apache2 Test: curl -I http://example.com If DNS isn’t pointed yet, you can temporarily test from your own computer by adding this line to /etc/hosts (Linux/macOS) or C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts (Windows): YOUR_SERVER_IP example.com www.example.com Point DNS to Your Server At your DNS provider, create A (and optional AAAA) records (full guide: How to Point a Domain to Your VPS Server): example.com → YOUR_SERVER_IP www.example.com → YOUR_SERVER_IP DNS propagation can take time. You can check with: dig +short A example.com (Optional but recommended) Add HTTPS with Let’s Encrypt On Ubuntu 24.04, the recommended method is snap: sudo snap install core sudo snap refresh core sudo snap install --classic certbot sudo ln -sf /snap/bin/certbot /usr/bin/certbot Request and auto-configure SSL for Apache: sudo certbot --apache -d example.com -d www.example.com Choose the redirect option so HTTP goes to HTTPS. Certbot sets up automatic renewal. Verify with: sudo systemctl status snap.certbot.renew.service sudo certbot renew --dry-run Open full HTTPS in UFW: sudo ufw allow 'Apache Full' sudo ufw delete allow 'Apache' # optional cleanup Useful Quality-of-Life Tweaks Avoid the “could not reliably determine the server’s fully qualified domain name” warning: echo "ServerName $(hostname -f)" | sudo tee /etc/apache2/conf-available/servername.conf sudo a2enconf servername sudo systemctl reload apache2 Per-site .htaccess (if truly needed): AllowOverride All Require all granted Then: sudo a2enmod rewrite sudo systemctl reload apache2 Force non-www (in your HTTPS vhost) via rewrite rules: # ... your SSL directives ... ServerName example.com ServerAlias www.example.com RewriteEngine On RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.example\.com$ RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://example.com/$1 Add Another Site (Quick Template) Use your first config as a template: # Document root sudo mkdir -p /var/www/secondsite.com/public_html sudo chown -R $USER:www-data /var/www/secondsite.com sudo chmod -R 750 /var/www/secondsite.com # Vhost sudo cp /etc/apache2/sites-available/example.com.conf /etc/apache2/sites-available/secondsite.com.conf sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/secondsite.com.conf # -> Change all example.com to secondsite.com and update paths # Enable & reload sudo a2ensite secondsite.com.conf sudo apache2ctl configtest sudo systemctl reload apache2 Get an SSL cert: sudo certbot --apache -d secondsite.com -d www.secondsite.com Troubleshooting Syntax errors: apache2ctl configtest shows where; fix and systemctl reload apache2. Wrong site served: Ensure the correct vhost file is enabled, has the right ServerName/ServerAlias, and the default site is disabled. List enabled sites with: a2query -s Permissions/403: Confirm Apache can read the doc root: sudo -u www-data test -r /var/www/example.com/public_html/index.html && echo OK Adjust chown/chmod as needed. DNS not pointing yet: Use /etc/hosts for temporary local testing (see Step 4). Housekeeping & Logs Logs live at: /var/log/apache2/*_access.log /var/log/apache2/*_error.log Follow a log live: sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/example.com_error.log Reload Apache after any config change: sudo systemctl reload apache2 Virtual Host Templates Here are some pre-made virtual host templates for common softwares: WordPress # ── HTTP → HTTPS redirect ServerName example.com ServerAlias www.example.com ServerAdmin webmaster@example.com RewriteEngine On RewriteRule ^ https://%{SERVER_NAME}%{REQUEST_URI} # Fallback docroot (unused except ACME pre-SSL) DocumentRoot /var/www/example.com/public_html # ── HTTPS vhost ServerName example.com ServerAlias www.example.com ServerAdmin webmaster@example.com DocumentRoot /var/www/example.com/public_html Options -Indexes +FollowSymLinks AllowOverride All Require all granted # HTTP/2 Protocols h2 http/1.1 # Logging ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example.com_error.log CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example.com_access.log combined # Security headers Header always set Strict-Transport-Security "max-age31536000; includeSubDomains; preload" Header always set X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" Header always set Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin" # TLS (Let’s Encrypt) SSLEngine on SSLCertificateFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem # Modern TLS hardening SSLProtocol all -SSLv3 -TLSv1 -TLSv1.1 SSLCipherSuite TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:TLS_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256:TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256:EECDH+AESGCM:EDH+AESGCM SSLHonorCipherOrder off SSLCompression off # OCSP stapling SSLUseStapling on SSLStaplingCache "shmcb:/var/run/apache2/stapling_cache(128000)" Laravel (PHP-FPM) # ── HTTP → HTTPS redirect ServerName example.com ServerAlias www.example.com ServerAdmin webmaster@example.com RewriteEngine On RewriteRule ^ https://%{SERVER_NAME}%{REQUEST_URI} DocumentRoot /var/www/example.com/public # ── HTTPS vhost (php8.3-fpm) ServerName example.com ServerAlias www.example.com ServerAdmin webmaster@example.com DocumentRoot /var/www/example.com/public Options +FollowSymLinks -Indexes AllowOverride All Require all granted # Route PHP to FPM SetHandler "proxy:unix:/run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock|fcgi://localhost/" # Deny direct access to sensitive dirs (optional hardening) Require all denied Require all denied Protocols h2 http/1.1 ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example.com_error.log CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example.com_access.log combined Header always set Strict-Transport-Security "max-age31536000; includeSubDomains; preload" Header always set X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" Header always set Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin" SSLEngine on SSLCertificateFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem SSLProtocol all -SSLv3 -TLSv1 -TLSv1.1 SSLCipherSuite TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:TLS_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256:TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256:EECDH+AESGCM:EDH+AESGCM SSLHonorCipherOrder off SSLCompression off SSLUseStapling on SSLStaplingCache "shmcb:/var/run/apache2/stapling_cache(128000)" OpenCart # ── HTTP → HTTPS redirect ServerName example.com ServerAlias www.example.com ServerAdmin webmaster@example.com RewriteEngine On RewriteRule ^ https://%{SERVER_NAME}%{REQUEST_URI} DocumentRoot /var/www/example.com/public_html # ── HTTPS vhost ServerName example.com ServerAlias www.example.com ServerAdmin webmaster@example.com DocumentRoot /var/www/example.com/public_html Options -Indexes +FollowSymLinks AllowOverride All Require all granted # Protect storage (move outside webroot if possible) Require all denied Protocols h2 http/1.1 ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example.com_error.log CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example.com_access.log combined Header always set Strict-Transport-Security "max-age31536000; includeSubDomains; preload" Header always set X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" Header always set Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin" SSLEngine on SSLCertificateFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem SSLProtocol all -SSLv3 -TLSv1 -TLSv1.1 SSLCipherSuite TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:TLS_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256:TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256:EECDH+AESGCM:EDH+AESGCM SSLHonorCipherOrder off SSLCompression off SSLUseStapling on SSLStaplingCache "shmcb:/var/run/apache2/stapling_cache(128000)" Enable modules & firewall (one-time) sudo a2enmod ssl headers http2 rewrite socache_shmcb # For Laravel only: sudo a2enmod proxy_fcgi setenvif sudo systemctl reload apache2 # UFW sudo ufw allow 'Apache Full' sudo ufw delete allow 'Apache' # optional cleanup Issue certificates with Certbot sudo snap install core && sudo snap refresh core sudo snap install --classic certbot sudo ln -sf /snap/bin/certbot /usr/bin/certbot # Obtain & auto-configure (runs Apache plugin to verify) sudo certbot --apache -d example.com -d www.example.com # Verify auto-renewal sudo certbot renew --dry-run 💡 Certbot will keep /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/ symlinks up-to-date and renew automatically. Quick checklist ✅ DNS A/AAAA records point to the server Files live in the correct docroots (public_html or public) Required Apache modules enabled Site enabled & config passes syntax: sudo a2ensite example.com.conf sudo apache2ctl configtest && sudo systemctl reload apache2 You’re done! 🚀 You now have clean, isolated virtual hosts on Ubuntu 24.04—easy to manage, secure with TLS, and ready to scale with more sites. Conclusion You now know how to setup Apache virtual hosts on Ubuntu VPS!

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