How to set up a Web Server in Mac OS X Leopard

Running a Mac OS X Web Server in Leopard.

Using system sharing and the built-in Apache web server, sharing web pages on your personal computer in OS X 10.5 is a piece of cake. Read on to learn more about setting up a web server on Mac OS X Leopard.

Instructions

1. 

   Click on the Apple Menu in the upper left-hand side of your screen and select “System Preferences.” Open System Preferences and select the “Sharing" folder. In the Sharing window, select “Web Sharing” and click the radio button to select “Web Sharing.” If you wish, you can edit the computer name that users will see when they connect to web pages on your Mac. Below the green button that shows web sharing is now turned on, you will find the links for accessing your Mac web server. There is a web server activated for your computer and one for your personal home directories web site.

2. 

   Click on either of the links to see if your Apache web server is running properly. If it is, you will see the default Apache web server page. To use your personal web server, the one in your personal home directory, go to your home directory and open the “Sites” directory. You will see the default files for your web server, an “index.html” file and an “images” directory. Double-click the “index.html” to launch it in your browser. You will see your personal web server running.

3. 

   Replace the “index.html” with your web pages and use the “images” directory for your images. You have a working web server running on your Mac. Just copy the link of your personal web site shown on the Sharing window in Preferences and send it to anyone you want to access your pages. Make sure you include the “/” that follows your home directory (/~home/).

Tips & Warnings

• If you are using a router, you may have to open up port "80" on your router so anyone outside of your home network can load your web pages.