Introduction
Hosting multiple domains and subdomains on a single server is an efficient way to manage web projects, and the Apache web server provides a robust platform to accomplish this task. This tutorial will guide you through the process of configuring Apache to serve multiple domains and subdomains on a single server, leveraging the power of virtual hosts.
Prerequisites
- A server running Apache web server on Ubuntu 20.04, 21.04, 22.04, or 23.04
- Access to the server with root privileges
- Domain names pointed to your server’s IP address
- Text editor to edit Apache’s configuration files
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Create Directory Structure
We will begin by creating a directory structure within /var/www/ for each domain and subdomain to hold the web documents.
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/domain.com/public_html
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/sub.domain.com/public_htmlSet the correct permissions for each directory:
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/www/domain.com/public_html
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/www/sub.domain.com/public_htmlReplace domain.com and sub.domain.com with your actual domain and subdomain names.
Step 2: Create Test Pages
To test our virtual hosts, let’s create a simple HTML file in each directory:
echo "<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html>\n<head>\n<title>Welcome to domain.com!</title>\n</head>\n<body>\n<h1>Success: domain.com is working!</h1>\n</body>\n</html>" > /var/www/domain.com/public_html/index.html
echo "<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html>\n<head>\n<title>Welcome to sub.domain.com!</title>\n</head>\n<body>\n<h1>Success: sub.domain.com is working!</h1>\n</body>\n</html>" > /var/www/sub.domain.com/public_html/index.htmlStep 3: Create Apache Virtual Host Files
Each domain and subdomain will have its own virtual host file. To create these files:
sudo cp /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf /etc/apache2/sites-available/domain.com.conf
sudo cp /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf /etc/apache2/sites-available/sub.domain.com.confEdit the virtual host file for domain.com using your preferred text editor:
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/domain.com.confIn the domain.com.conf file, modify the <VirtualHost *:80> block to look like this:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerAdmin [email protected]
ServerName domain.com
ServerAlias www.domain.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/domain.com/public_html
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>Ensure you also edit sub.domain.com.conf with the subdomain’s specific information:
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/sub.domain.com.confIn the sub.domain.com.conf file, adjust the virtual host settings accordingly:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerAdmin [email protected]
ServerName sub.domain.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/sub.domain.com/public_html
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>Step 4: Enable the Virtual Host Files
After configuring the virtual hosts, enable them:
sudo a2ensite domain.com.conf
sudo a2ensite sub.domain.com.confThen disable the default site:
sudo a2dissite 000-default.confReload Apache to apply the changes:
sudo systemctl reload apache2Step 5: Edit Hosts File (Optional)
If you haven’t pointed your domains to your server’s IP address, you can modify your local machine’s /etc/hosts file to test the virtual hosts locally:
sudo nano /etc/hosts
# Add the following lines:
server_ip_address domain.com
server_ip_address sub.domain.comReplace server_ip_address with your server’s actual IP.
Step 6: Testing the Results
Open a web browser and navigate to http://domain.com and http://sub.domain.com. You should see the test pages created earlier, indicating that Apache is correctly serving the content for your domains and subdomains.
Conclusion
Setting up multiple domains and subdomains on Apache allows scalability and organization for your web services. Always remember to secure your domains with SSL certificates and configure backups to protect your data.
