How to Install and Configure Apache on Ubuntu 26.04

Knowing how to install and configure Apache on Ubuntu 26.04 is essential for anyone looking to host websites or web applications on a Linux server. Apache HTTP Server remains one of the most widely deployed web servers in the world, and Ubuntu 26.04 Resolute Raccoon provides a stable foundation for running it. In this tutorial, you will learn how to install Apache, set up virtual hosts, enable URL rewriting with mod_rewrite, configure SSL encryption, and apply basic security hardening to your server.

Software Requirements

Install Apache on Ubuntu 26.04

The Apache HTTP Server is available directly from the Ubuntu 26.04 default repositories. Therefore, installation is straightforward using the apt package manager. Begin by updating your package index and installing the apache2 package.

1. Update the package index and install Apache:

   $ sudo apt update
   $ sudo apt install apache2

   This installs the Apache web server along with all required dependencies.

2. Verify that the Apache service is running:

   $ sudo systemctl status apache2

   You should see active (running) in the output. Apache starts automatically after installation on Ubuntu 26.04.

3. Allow HTTP traffic through the firewall: If you have UFW enabled, you need to allow port 80 with UFW for Apache to serve web pages:

   $ sudo ufw allow 'Apache'

   This opens port 80 (HTTP). To additionally allow HTTPS traffic on port 443:

   $ sudo ufw allow 'Apache Full'

4. Test the default Apache page: Open a web browser and navigate to your server’s IP address. You can find your server’s IP with:

   $ hostname -I

   Enter http://your_server_ip in the browser. You should see the Apache2 Ubuntu Default Page confirming that the web server is working correctly.

Configure Apache Virtual Hosts

Virtual hosts allow you to host multiple websites on a single Apache server. Each virtual host has its own configuration file that defines the domain name, document root, and other settings. Consequently, this is one of the most important aspects of Apache configuration on Ubuntu 26.04.

1. Create a document root directory for your website:

   $ sudo mkdir -p /var/www/linuxconfig.org/html

2. Set appropriate ownership so that the regular user can manage files:

   $ sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/www/linuxconfig.org/html

3. Create a sample index page to test the virtual host:

   $ echo '<h1>Hello from LinuxConfig.org</h1>' > /var/www/linuxconfig.org/html/index.html

4. Create the virtual host configuration file:

   $ sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/linuxconfig.conf

   Add the following configuration:

   <VirtualHost *:80>
       ServerAdmin webmaster@linuxconfig.org
       ServerName linuxconfig.org
       ServerAlias www.linuxconfig.org
       DocumentRoot /var/www/linuxconfig.org/html
       ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/linuxconfig_error.log
       CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/linuxconfig_access.log combined
   </VirtualHost>

   The ServerName directive defines the primary domain, while ServerAlias handles alternative domain names. The DocumentRoot points to the directory containing your website files.

5. Enable the new virtual host and disable the default site:

   $ sudo a2ensite linuxconfig.conf
   $ sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf

6. Test the configuration and reload Apache:

   $ sudo apache2ctl configtest
   $ sudo systemctl reload apache2

   The configtest command checks for syntax errors before applying changes. You should see Syntax OK in the output.

$ echo 'ServerName localhost' | sudo tee /etc/apache2/conf-available/servername.conf
$ sudo a2enconf servername
$ sudo systemctl reload apache2

Enable mod_rewrite

The mod_rewrite module allows you to create clean, SEO-friendly URLs by rewriting requests on the server side. Many web applications, including WordPress and Laravel, require this module. To enable mod_rewrite on Ubuntu 26.04, follow these steps.

1. Enable the rewrite module:

   $ sudo a2enmod rewrite

2. Update your virtual host to allow .htaccess overrides: Edit the virtual host configuration file:

   $ sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/linuxconfig.conf

   Add a Directory block inside the VirtualHost section:

   <VirtualHost *:80>
       ServerAdmin webmaster@linuxconfig.org
       ServerName linuxconfig.org
       ServerAlias www.linuxconfig.org
       DocumentRoot /var/www/linuxconfig.org/html
   
       <Directory /var/www/linuxconfig.org/html>
           Options -Indexes +FollowSymLinks
           AllowOverride All
       </Directory>
   
       ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/linuxconfig_error.log
       CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/linuxconfig_access.log combined
   </VirtualHost>

   The AllowOverride All directive permits .htaccess files to override server configuration within that directory. Additionally, Options -Indexes disables directory listing while +FollowSymLinks allows symbolic links.

3. Restart Apache to apply changes:

   $ sudo systemctl restart apache2

4. Verify that mod_rewrite is active:

   $ sudo apache2ctl -M | grep rewrite

   You should see rewrite_module (shared) in the output, confirming the module is loaded.

   

Set Up SSL with Self-Signed Certificate on Apache

Enabling SSL encryption protects data transmitted between your server and visitors. While production environments should use certificates from a trusted Certificate Authority such as Let’s Encrypt, a self-signed certificate is useful for testing and internal environments. Here is how to configure SSL on Apache with Ubuntu 26.04.

1. Enable the SSL module:

   $ sudo a2enmod ssl

2. Generate a self-signed SSL certificate:

   $ sudo openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 365 -newkey rsa:2048 \
     -keyout /etc/ssl/private/linuxconfig-selfsigned.key \
     -out /etc/ssl/certs/linuxconfig-selfsigned.crt

   You will be prompted to enter certificate information. The most important field is Common Name, which should match your domain name or server IP address.

3. Create an SSL virtual host configuration:

   $ sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/linuxconfig-ssl.conf

   Add the following configuration:

   <VirtualHost *:443>
       ServerAdmin webmaster@linuxconfig.org
       ServerName linuxconfig.org
       DocumentRoot /var/www/linuxconfig.org/html
   
       SSLEngine on
       SSLCertificateFile /etc/ssl/certs/linuxconfig-selfsigned.crt
       SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/ssl/private/linuxconfig-selfsigned.key
   
       <Directory /var/www/linuxconfig.org/html>
           Options -Indexes +FollowSymLinks
           AllowOverride All
       </Directory>
   
       ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/linuxconfig_ssl_error.log
       CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/linuxconfig_ssl_access.log combined
   </VirtualHost>

4. Enable the SSL virtual host:

   $ sudo a2ensite linuxconfig-ssl.conf

5. Configure HTTP to HTTPS redirection: Edit the original virtual host file to redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS:

   $ sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/linuxconfig.conf

   Replace the contents with:

   <VirtualHost *:80>
       ServerName linuxconfig.org
       ServerAlias www.linuxconfig.org
       Redirect permanent / https://linuxconfig.org/
   </VirtualHost>

6. Test and restart Apache:

   $ sudo apache2ctl configtest
   $ sudo systemctl restart apache2

Basic Apache Security Hardening

After installing Apache on Ubuntu 26.04, it is important to apply some basic security measures. By default, Apache exposes version information and other details that attackers can exploit. The following steps help reduce your server’s attack surface.

1. Hide Apache version and OS information: Edit the security configuration file:

   $ sudo nano /etc/apache2/conf-available/security.conf

   Find and set the following directives:

   ServerTokens Prod
   ServerSignature Off

   ServerTokens Prod makes Apache report only “Apache” in the Server header without version numbers. ServerSignature Off removes the server information from error pages.

2. Disable directory listing globally: In the same file, ensure the following option is set:

   <Directory /var/www/>
       Options -Indexes
   </Directory>

   This prevents visitors from browsing the contents of directories that lack an index file.

3. Add security headers: Create a custom configuration file for security headers:

   $ sudo nano /etc/apache2/conf-available/security-headers.conf

   Add the following content:

   Header always set X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff"
   Header always set X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN"
   Header always set Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin"

   Enable the headers module and the new configuration:

   $ sudo a2enmod headers
   $ sudo a2enconf security-headers

4. Apply all changes:

   $ sudo systemctl restart apache2

Manage Apache Service

Ubuntu 26.04 uses systemctl to manage the Apache service. Understanding these commands is essential for day-to-day server administration. Moreover, knowing where to find logs helps you troubleshoot issues quickly.

1. Start, stop, and restart Apache:

   $ sudo systemctl start apache2
   $ sudo systemctl stop apache2
   $ sudo systemctl restart apache2

   Use restart when making changes that require a full service restart. For configuration changes that do not require dropping active connections, use reload instead:

   $ sudo systemctl reload apache2

   IMPORTANT
   If you see a warning such as The unit file, source configuration file or drop-ins of apache2.service changed on disk, run sudo systemctl daemon-reload first, then retry the reload:

   $ sudo systemctl daemon-reload
   $ sudo systemctl reload apache2

2. Enable or disable Apache at boot: Apache is enabled by default after installation. To manage this behavior:

   $ sudo systemctl enable apache2
   $ sudo systemctl disable apache2

3. Check Apache logs: Apache stores logs in /var/log/apache2/. The two main log files are:

   $ sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/access.log
   $ sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log

   If you configured custom log paths in your virtual host, check those locations instead. For example, the virtual host created earlier logs to linuxconfig_error.log and linuxconfig_access.log in the same directory.

4. List enabled modules and sites: To see which modules and virtual hosts are currently active:

   $ sudo apache2ctl -M
   $ ls /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/

If you need to open additional firewall ports for other services running alongside Apache, make sure to configure UFW accordingly.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how to install and configure Apache on Ubuntu 26.04 from start to finish. You set up the web server, created virtual hosts to serve multiple websites, enabled mod_rewrite for clean URLs, configured SSL encryption with a self-signed certificate, and applied basic security hardening. Apache is now ready to serve your websites and web applications on Ubuntu 26.04 Resolute Raccoon.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I check which version of Apache is installed on Ubuntu 26.04? Run apache2 -v in the terminal. This displays the Apache version number and the build date. You can also use sudo apt show apache2 for more detailed package information.
2. What is the difference between restart and reload in Apache? The restart command completely stops and starts the Apache service, dropping all active connections. The reload command gracefully applies configuration changes without interrupting existing connections. Use reload whenever possible to avoid downtime.
3. Can I host multiple websites on a single Apache server? Yes, Apache virtual hosts allow you to serve multiple websites from one server. Each site gets its own configuration file in /etc/apache2/sites-available/ with a unique ServerName. Enable each site with a2ensite and ensure DNS records point to your server’s IP address.
4. How do I get a free SSL certificate for Apache instead of a self-signed one? Use Let’s Encrypt with the Certbot tool. Install Certbot with sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache, then run sudo certbot --apache to automatically obtain and configure a trusted certificate at no cost.