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Virtual Host

Apache HTTP Server is one of the most popular and stable web servers that is widely used to run various types of websites. In an AlmaLinux 8-based server environment, the use of Apache Virtual Hosts is the primary solution for hosting multiple websites on a single server. This guide discusses comprehensively and in-depth on how to set up Virtual Host in Apache Web Server on the AlmaLinux 8 operating system, from basic installation to multi-domain configuration.

Virtual Host allows us to manage more than one website on a single Apache server machine. This is very efficient to save resources, server costs, and facilitate the administration of multiple domains in one system.

There are two types of Virtual Hosts in Apache:

  • Name-Based Virtual Host → uses a domain address (hostname) to distinguish each site.

  • IP-Based Virtual Host → uses a different IP address for each site.

In AlmaLinux 8, the default configuration uses the Name-Based approach because it is more efficient and flexible.

Prerequisite​

  • Full root access
  • Apache/HTTPD already installed
  • Basic Linux Command Line
  • Security
  • Domain Name (VALID FQDN)

Virtual Host Configuration​

Before starting the Virtual Host configuration, make sure your AlmaLinux 8 system has Apache HTTP Server installed. If you have not installed Apache, please run the following command:

dnf install httpd -y
systemctl enable --now httpd

Make sure your firewall allows HTTP and HTTPS:

firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service={http,https}
firewall-cmd --reload

Virtual Host configurations should be separated into dedicated directories for easy management:

  • Configuration directory: /etc/httpd/conf.d/$DOMAIN.conf
  • Site documents directory: for example in /var/www/$DOMAIN/public_html/

Recommended directory structure:

/var/www/
├── focusnic.biz.id/
│   └── public_html/
├── domain2.com/
│   └── public_html/

Create a directory and grant appropriate permissions:

mkdir -p /var/www/focusnic.biz.id/public_html
chown -R apache:apache /var/www/focusnic.biz.id

Create a configuration file for the domain:

info

If using more than one domain, please do the same for other domains, for example domain2.com and adjust the parameters.

nano /etc/httpd/conf.d/focusnic.biz.id.conf

Fill in the following configuration:

/etc/httpd.conf.d/focusnic.biz.id.conf
<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerAdmin webmaster@focusnic.biz.id
    ServerName focusnic.biz.id
    ServerAlias www.focusnic.biz.id
    DocumentRoot /var/www/focusnic.biz.id/public_html
    ErrorLog /var/log/httpd/focusnic.biz.id-error.log
    CustomLog /var/log/httpd/focusnic.biz.id-access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Once done, restart Apache:

apachectl configtest
systemctl restart httpd

Create a simple index.html file to test the virtual host:

echo "<h1>Selamat Datang di focusnic.biz.id</h1>" > /var/www/focusnic.biz.id/public_html/index.html

Open a browser and visit http://$DOMAIN. If the configuration is correct, the page will be displayed according to the testing file above.

Virtual Host Production​

The following is an example of an Apache Virtual Host configuration recommended for a production environment on AlmaLinux 8. This configuration takes into account security, a clean log structure, .htaccess support, and performance optimization.z

For applications that require HTTP port 80:

/etc/httpd/conf.d/$DOMAIN.conf
<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName example.com
    ServerAlias www.example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/example.com/public_html

    ErrorLog /var/www/example.com/logs/error.log
    CustomLog /var/www/example.com/logs/access.log combined

    # Block sensitive files
    <FilesMatch "\.(user.ini|htaccess|git|svn|project|LICENSE|README\.md)$">
        Require all denied
    </FilesMatch>

    <Directory /var/www/example.com/public_html>
        Options -Indexes +FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
        DirectoryIndex index.html index.php
        
    # Output compression
        <IfModule mod_deflate.c>
            AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/plain text/xml text/css text/javascript application/javascript application/json
        </IfModule>
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

For applications that require HTTPS port 443:

/etc/httpd/conf.d/$DOMAIN.conf
<IfModule mod_ssl.c>
<VirtualHost *:443>
    ServerName example.com
    ServerAlias www.example.com
    ServerAdmin admin@example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/example.com/public_html

    ErrorLog /var/www/example.com/logs/error.log
    CustomLog /var/www/example.com/logs/access.log combined

    # SSL Certificate
    SSLEngine on
    SSLCertificateFile /etc/ssl/example.com/fullchain.pem
    SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/ssl/example.com/privkey.pem

    # Additional SSL security configuration (optional)
    SSLProtocol all -SSLv2 -SSLv3 -TLSv1 -TLSv1.1
    SSLCipherSuite HIGH:!aNULL:!MD5:!3DES
    SSLHonorCipherOrder on

    # Public directory of websites
    <Directory /var/www/example.com/public_html>
        Options -Indexes +FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
        DirectoryIndex index.html index.php

        <IfModule mod_deflate.c>
            AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/plain text/xml text/css text/javascript application/javascript application/json
        </IfModule>
    </Directory>

    # Block access to sensitive files
    <FilesMatch "\.(user.ini|htaccess|git|svn|project|LICENSE|README\.md)$">
        Require all denied
    </FilesMatch>

    # Security header
    <IfModule mod_headers.c>
        Header always set X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN"
        Header always set X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff"
        Header always set X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block"
        Header always set Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains; preload"
        Header always set Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin"
    </IfModule>

    # Disable TRACE method
    TraceEnable off
</VirtualHost>
</IfModule>

The steps before activating the production configuration are as follows:

  1. If using paid SSL such as Sectigo, DigiCert, etc. please fill in the SSL parameters above. However, if you use HTTP port 80 configuration and want to use Let's Encrypt SSL please run the following command:
dnf install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y
certbot --apache -d example.com
  1. Directories and log files:
mkdir -p /var/www/example.com/public_html
mkdir -p /var/www/example.com/logs
chown -R apache:apache /var/www/example.com
  1. Restart apache:
apachectl configtest
systemctl restart httpd

Troubleshooting​

If an error occurs while running the Virtual Host, here are the troubleshooting steps:

Check the status of Apache:

systemctl status httpd

Check the Apache error log:

tail -f /var/log/httpd/$DOMAIN_NAME-error.log

or the following log if using virtual host production:

tail -f /var/www/$DOMAIN_NAME/logs/error.log

Validate the Apache configuration:

apachectl configtest

Check file ownership and folder permissions. Use ls -la to ensure the file is owned by user apache and has read permission.

Conclusion​

Apache Virtual Host configuration in AlmaLinux 8 is an important foundation in managing multi-domain websites on a single server. By implementing a secure, organized, and structured Virtual Host, we can:

  • Run multiple websites on a single Apache instance efficiently.

  • Customize domain-specific settings, such as root directory, log files, compression, and security.

  • Protect the system from common vulnerabilities such as directory listing, sensitive file access, and legacy HTTP protocol flaws.

  • Improve performance and scalability with compression, cache, and .htaccess features.

By following the presented best practices, your Apache server will be ready for production operations in a safe and professional manner. If you need technical assistance in server setup, Apache Virtual Host configuration, or VPS cloud services, feel free to contact Focusnic - a trusted partner in modern digital infrastructure solutions.

Q: What is a Virtual Host in Apache?
A: Virtual Hosts allow Apache to handle multiple websites (domains) on a single physical server with different configurations.

Q: What is the difference between Name-Based and IP-Based Virtual Host?
A:

  • Name-Based: Multiple domains use one IP address.

  • IP-Based: Each domain has a different IP address.

Q: Can I use .htaccess on a Virtual Host?
A: Yes, make sure your configuration includes: AllowOverride All inside the <Directory> block for .htaccess to work.

Q: How do I enable SSL/HTTPS on Virtual Host?
A: Use Let's Encrypt or an SSL certificate from another provider, then set up Virtual Host with the directive:

/etc/httpd/conf.d/$DOMAIN.conf
SSLCertificateFile
SSLCertificateKeyFile

Q: What is the use of -Indexes in the configuration?
A: The -Indexes option prevents Apache from displaying a list of folder contents if there is no index.html file, making it safer from directory exploration by visitors.

Q: Is it necessary to create a log file per domain?
A: Highly recommended. This allows you to: detect errors per domain, view specific traffic per site, and compile accurate analytics reports.

Q: What if my configuration is not running?
A: Check the syntax with apachectl configtest or see the error log

Q: Does this configuration work on CentOS, Rocky Linux, or RHEL?
A: Yes, since AlmaLinux is binary-compatible with RHEL, this Virtual Host configuration is also fully compatible on all those distros.