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Andrew Quaye
Andrew Quaye

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How to Set Up Apache Virtual Hosts on an Ubuntu VM

#linux #devops #tutorial #webdev

Apache Virtual Hosts allow you to host multiple websites or applications on a single server. Each domain or subdomain can point to its own directory, making it possible to run separate projects side by side.

🛠 Prerequisites

  • Ubuntu VM with sudo access
  • Apache2 installed (sudo apt install apache2 -y)
  • Domain names pointing to your server’s public IP (configured via DNS)

Step 1: Create Project Directory

Each site should have its own directory under /var/www/html.

Example for api.iquipe.cloud:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/html/api
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/api
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/api
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Add a test file:

echo "<?php phpinfo(); ?>" | sudo tee /var/www/html/api/index.php
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Step 2: Create Virtual Host Configuration

Apache stores site configs in /etc/apache2/sites-available/.

Create a new file:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/api-your-domainname-com.conf
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Add:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName api-your-domainname.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html/api

    <Directory /var/www/html/api>
        Options FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/api_error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/api_access.log combined
</VirtualHost>
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Step 3: Enable the Site

Enable your new Virtual Host:

sudo a2ensite api-your-domainname-com.conf
sudo systemctl reload apache2
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Disable the default site if you don’t need it:

sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf
sudo systemctl reload apache2
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Step 4: Test Access

Visit:

http://api-your-domainname-com
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You should see the PHP info page.

Step 5: Enable SSL (Recommended)

Install Certbot:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y
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Request a certificate:

sudo certbot --apache -d api-your-domainname-com
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Choose the redirect option so HTTP traffic is automatically redirected to HTTPS.

Step 6: Manage Multiple Virtual Hosts

Repeat the process for other domains (e.g., test.domainame.com). Each domain gets:

  • Its own directory under /var/www/html/
  • Its own config file under /etc/apache2/sites-available/
  • Its own SSL certificate (or a shared multi‑domain certificate)

✅ Conclusion

With Virtual Hosts, you can host multiple independent sites on one Ubuntu VM. Each domain points to its own directory, and Apache handles routing. Adding SSL ensures secure connections for all your hosted applications.

Top comments (1)

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iquipe profile image
Andrew Quaye •

replace the api-your-domainname-com with your domain name e.g. coremax.com or ai.coremax.com