Virtual Hosting Using apache2
What is Virtual Hosting and where and why it is used?
Vitual Hosting is a method that servers such as web servers use to host more than one domain
name on the same computer.
Virtual hosting allows a website owner to have a site hosted on a web server that is shared with
other websites. In other words, virtual hosting services and bandwidht to more than one website.
Virtual web hosting is one of the most popular hosting options available at the moment -
probably because of cost effective because you won’t have to pay for a dedicated server to host just
your website.
Virtual web hosting is good solution for SME’s even for MNC’s also websites that aren’t constantly being visited
There are two basic methods of accomplishing virtual hosting: name-based, and IP address or ip-based.
Lets move to the Practical Session
Check are you have Apache2, mysql5, php5 in your PC or Laptop or NoteBook what ever you calls otherwise follow below steps
1. Install LAMP
2. Control Apache2
3. Control MySql
4. Virtual Hosting
5. Virtual Hosting with multiple names
1. Install LAMP – Linux Apache2 Mysql Php
I preasume you have Ubuntu Linux installed. Let’s install everything else (Apache 2, PHP5 and MySQL 5)
sudo aptitude install apache2 mysql-server php5 php5-mysql libapache2-mod-php5
Open your favourite web browser and enter http://localhost (or http://127.0.0.1)
Check if Apache 2 and PHP 5 work fine
Create a file called test.php and enter this text in it
<?php phpinfo(); ?>
Save the file and copy it to your web site folder, e.g. /var/www
Open your web browser and run
http://localhost/test.php
2. Control Apache2
To start Apache2
sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 start
To stop Apache2
sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 stop
To restart Apache2
sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart
After first install I always get this error:
apache2: Could not determine the server’s domain name, using 127.0.0.1 for ServerName
It is easily fixed – add ServerName localhost into apache2.conf
gksudo gedit /etc/apache2/apache2.conf
3. Control MySQL
To start MySQL
sudo /etc/init.d/mysql start
To restart MySQL
sudo /etc/init.d/mysql restart
To stop MySQL
sudo /etc/init.d/mysql stop
Creating Database using MySql
First Login into MySql Using Following Command here it will ask password then enter the root password of My Sql. MySql Password has given when it was Installing
mysql -u root -p
Create Database
Create Database virtual;
Use Database
Use virtual;
4. Virtual Hosting
(a) Allow user to web directory
(b) Create Folder and link to web directory
(c) Using Virtual Hosts
(d) Adding Virtual Hosts
(e) Apache Configuaration
localhost is the default host, but if you add virtal hosts, you may want to change it to, say, somechow
However, the address http://localhost/ by default points to /var/www. That folder is basically empty that is why you do not see much in your web browser.
To show proper web site, you need to put some web pages in that folder.
(a) allow yourselft to have access to the folder /var/www
sudo chown -R USERNAME /var/www
Now, you can copy your great web site to the folder /var/www.
Start Firefox again and type http://localhost/. Do you see you web site?
If you hate to always navigate to /var/www, you can press Control-D in Nautilus to add a new bookmark in Places menu. You can create a link to it in your home folder for easy access, alternatively.
(b) Create a folder in your desired location and link to the web direcotry
ln -s /var/www ~/WebSite
Now you can place all your web content inside the folder WebSite in your home folder and you will see your web site by going to
http://localhost/
(c) Using virtual hosts
If I put a folder called somechow inside /var/www, I can run my local web site by entering http://localhost/somechow.
However, I prefer more human-readable web addresses. For example, when I enter http://somechow, my local WordPress copy of somechow.Ws (located in /home/some/WebSites/somechow) runs in Firefox.
To use virtual hosts, you need to change hosts file and add some information for Apache.
(d) I add my virtual host address to Hosts file
sudo nano /etc/hosts
127.0.0.1 somechow
In above quote instead of 127.0.0.1 I used my desktop IP.
Then I reboot the computer or networking for changes to take effect
sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart
(e) Apache Configuration
Open the window in super user mode uisng following command prompt
sudo nautilus
I create a copy of file default which is located in /etc/apache2/sites-available and rename it to somechow.
I created a link to this file by right-clicking and selected MakeLink option
I copy this link to /etc/apache2/sites-enabled
I change link file into somechow:
NameVirtualHost * is changed to NameVirtualHost somechow
ServerName@somechow is added under ServerAdmin
DocumentRoot /var/www/ is changed to DocumentRoot /home/some/WebSites/somechow
5. Virtual Hosting with multiple names
(a) Allow user to web directory
(b) Create Folder and link to web directory
(c) Using Virtual Hosts
(d) Adding Virtual Hosts
(e) Apache Configuaration
localhost is the default host, but if you add virtal hosts, you may want to change it to, say, somechow and somedary
However, the address http://localhost/ by default points to /var/www. That folder is basically empty that is why you do not see much in your web browser.
To show proper web site, you need to put some web pages in that folder.
(a) allow yourselft to have access to the folder /var/www
sudo chown -R USERNAME /var/www
Now, you can copy your great web site to the folder /var/www.
Start Firefox again and type http://localhost/. Do you see you web site?
If you hate to always navigate to /var/www, you can press Control-D in Nautilus to add a new bookmark in Places menu. You can create a link to it in your home folder for easy access, alternatively.
(b) Create a folder in your desired location and link to the web direcotry
ln -s /var/www ~/WebSite
Now you can place all your web content inside the folder WebSite in your home folder and you will see your web site by going to
http://localhost/
(c) Using virtual hosts
If I put a folder called somechow and somedary inside /var/www, I can run my local web site by entering http://localhost/somechow or http://localhost/somedary
However, I prefer more human-readable web addresses. For example, when I enter http://somechow and http://somedary , my local WordPress copy of somechow.Ws or somedary.ws(located in /home/some/WebSites/somechow and /home/some/WebSites/somedary ) runs in Firefox.
To use virtual hosts, you need to change hosts file and add some information for Apache.
(d) I add my virtual host address to Hosts file
sudo nano /etc/hosts
127.0.0.1 somechow
127.0.0.1 somedary
In above quote instead of 127.0.0.1 I used my desktop IP.
Then I reboot the computer or networking for changes to take effect
sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart
(e) Apache Configuration
(i) For somechow
Open the window in super user mode uisng following command prompt
sudo nautilus
I create a copy of file default which is located in /etc/apache2/sites-available and rename it to somechow.
I created a link to this file by right-clicking the somechow and selected MakeLink option
I copy this link to /etc/apache2/sites-enabled
I change link file into somechow:
NameVirtualHost * is changed to NameVirtualHost somechow
ServerName@somechow is added under ServerAdmin
DocumentRoot /var/www/ is changed to DocumentRoot /home/some/WebSites/somechow
(ii) For somedary
Open the window in super user mode uisng following command prompt
sudo nautilus
I create a copy of file default which is located in /etc/apache2/sites-available and rename it to somedary.
I created a link to this file by right-clicking the somechow and selected MakeLink option
I copy this link to /etc/apache2/sites-enabled
I change link file into somedary:
NameVirtualHost * is changed to NameVirtualHost somedary
ServerName@somedary is added under ServerAdmin
DocumentRoot /var/www/ is changed to DocumentRoot /home/some/WebSites/somedary
