DEV Community

Edgaras
Edgaras

Posted on

A Developer's Guide to Useful Apache Modules

#apache #webdev #performance #security

Apache is one of the most widely used web servers, and its real power comes from its modular design.

Below is a practical, example-based guide to Apache modules that are useful in real-world web development.

How to Enable/Disable Modules 

# Enable a module
sudo a2enmod module_name

# Disable a module
sudo a2dismod module_name

# Restart Apache
sudo systemctl restart apache2
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

mod_rewrite - URL Routing & Clean URLs 

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName example.com

    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteRule ^user/([0-9]+)/?$ /profile.php?id=$1 [L,QSA]
</VirtualHost>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Used for clean URLs, routing logic, SEO-friendly paths, and framework rewrites.

mod_ssl - HTTPS Support 

<VirtualHost *:443>
    ServerName example.com

    SSLEngine On
    SSLCertificateFile /etc/ssl/certs/example.crt
    SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/ssl/private/example.key
</VirtualHost>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Enables TLS/SSL so the site can run securely over HTTPS.

mod_headers - Security & Cache Headers 

<IfModule mod_headers.c>
    Header always set X-Frame-Options "DENY"
    Header always set X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff"
    Header always set Referrer-Policy "no-referrer"
</IfModule>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Allows setting and modifying HTTP response headers for security and performance.

mod_expires - Browser Cache Control 

<IfModule mod_expires.c>
    ExpiresActive On
    ExpiresByType text/css "access plus 7 days"
    ExpiresByType image/png "access plus 1 year"
    ExpiresDefault "access plus 1 hour"
</IfModule>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Adds automatic expiration headers so browsers can cache static files.

mod_proxy and mod_proxy_http - Reverse Proxy to Apps 

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName api.example.com

    ProxyPass / http://127.0.0.1:4000/
    ProxyPassReverse / http://127.0.0.1:4000/
</VirtualHost>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Forwards requests to backend services like Node, Python, Docker, or another server.

mod_security - Web Application Firewall 

SecRuleEngine On
Include /usr/share/modsecurity-crs/*.conf
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Blocks common attacks such as SQL injection, XSS, and RCE using rule sets.

mod_status - Live Server Status Page 

<Location "/server-status">
    SetHandler server-status
    Require ip 127.0.0.1
</Location>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Displays live Apache metrics: active connections, workers, load, uptime.

mod_auth_basic and mod_authn_file - Simple Password Protection 

<Location "/admin">
    AuthType Basic
    AuthName "Restricted"
    AuthUserFile /etc/apache2/.htpasswd
    Require valid-user
</Location>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Adds quick HTTP basic authentication without touching application code.

mod_evasive - Auto-Blocking for DDoS / Brute Force 

<IfModule mod_evasive20.c>
    DOSHashTableSize 2048
    DOSPageCount 5
    DOSPageInterval 1
    DOSBlockingPeriod 30
    DOSEmailNotify admin@example.com
</IfModule>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Detects repeated requests and temporarily blocks abusive traffic automatically.

Additional Useful Modules

mod_deflate or mod_brotli - Response Compression 

<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/css application/json
</IfModule>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
<IfModule mod_brotli.c>
    BrotliCompressionQuality 6
    AddOutputFilterByType BROTLI_COMPRESS text/html text/css application/javascript
</IfModule>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Compresses responses to reduce bandwidth and speed up page loads.

mod_pagespeed - Auto Performance Optimizer 

ModPagespeed on
ModPagespeedEnableFilters rewrite_css,sprite_images,collapse_whitespace
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Automatically optimizes assets: minifies, inlines, rewrites, lazyloads, etc.

mod_geoip / mod_maxminddb - Geo-Based Rules 

<IfModule mod_maxminddb.c>
    MaxMindDBFile COUNTRY_DB /usr/share/GeoIP/GeoLite2-Country.mmdb
    MaxMindDBEnv GEOIP_COUNTRY_CODE COUNTRY_DB/country/iso_code
</IfModule>

<Location />
    Require all granted
    Require not env GEOIP_COUNTRY_CODE=CN
</Location>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Allows country-based routing, blocking, redirects, or localization.

Summary

Module Purpose / Use Case
mod_rewrite URL routing, clean URLs, SEO-friendly rewrites
mod_ssl Enables HTTPS/TLS encryption
mod_headers Sets custom security and cache headers
mod_expires Controls browser caching for static files
mod_proxy Reverse proxy to backend apps/services
mod_security Web Application Firewall (WAF)
mod_status Live server metrics/status page
mod_auth_basic Simple HTTP basic authentication
mod_evasive Auto-blocking for DDoS / brute force requests
mod_deflate / brotli Response compression for faster load times
mod_pagespeed Automatic asset optimization (minify, inline etc.)
mod_geoip / maxminddb Geo-based routing, blocking, or localization

Top comments (0)