Configuring Apache on Ubuntu: Virtual Hosts and SSL Setup

Assuming Apache is already installed on your Ubuntu server, the next step is to configure it to host multiple websites and secure them with SSL. Apache allows you to use virtual hosts to serve multiple domains from a single server. Additionally, using SSL certificates ensures that your website traffic is encrypted and secure. This guide covers the steps for configuring virtual hosts and securing your server with SSL.

If you did not install Apache on your server, you can follow this guide:

1: Configure Virtual Hosts

Apache uses virtual hosts to manage multiple websites on a single server. Each website or domain can have its own directory, log files, and configuration.

For each website, you'll need to create a directory to store your website’s files. For example, for a website called example.com, create a directory under /var/www:

Make sure the directory is owned by your user account so you can manage files, and set appropriate permissions:

For testing, create a simple HTML file inside the example.com directory:

Add the following content which is a simple HTML page:

Next, create a virtual host file in the /etc/apache2/sites-available/ directory for example.com:

Add the following configuration, which tells Apache where to find the website files and how to log requests:

Save the file and exit, and then If you don’t want to use the default Apache welcome page, disable the default site:

After setting up the virtual host, run a configuration test to ensure there are no syntax errors:

If the output is Syntax OK, restart Apache to apply the changes:

Now, visit your domain (http://example.com) in a browser to confirm that the website is being served correctly.

2: Enable Apache Modules

Apache has several modules that add functionality. For example, mod_rewrite allows for URL rewriting, and mod_ssl enables HTTPS. To enable URL rewriting, which is often needed for SEO-friendly URLs and redirect rules, use the following command:

To support HTTPS connections, enable the SSL module:

3: Secure the Site with SSL (HTTPS)

SSL certificates encrypt data transmitted between the server and clients, making your site more secure. You can either use a self-signed SSL certificate or, preferably, obtain a free SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt.

Certbot is the tool used to obtain and manage SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt.

You can install it with the command:

Use Certbot to obtain and automatically configure an SSL certificate for your domain:

This command requests an SSL certificate for both example.com and www.example.com and configures your Apache virtual host to use SSL.

Once Certbot finishes, your website will be accessible over HTTPS. You can test this by visiting:

4: Set Up Automatic Certificate Renewal

Let’s Encrypt certificates are valid for 90 days, but Certbot can automatically renew them before they expire. To ensure automatic renewal, Certbot sets up a cron job by default, but you can manually test the renewal process:

Run the following command to simulate the renewal process:

If the command succeeds, your certificates will automatically renew in the future.

Configuring Apache on Ubuntu to serve multiple websites and secure them with SSL is an essential part of hosting. By setting up virtual hosts, enabling important modules, and securing your sites with Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates, you ensure your server is efficient, secure, and ready to serve traffic. This configuration allows you to easily manage multiple domains and keep your users' data safe with encrypted connections.