How to Configure Apache2 SSL
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a way of providing security over an Internet connection by using a public and private key pair. For a truly secure connection, a third party trusted Certificate Authority's public key is used. For testing purposes and private networks, it is possible to create a self-signed certificate. The Apache2 Web server's mod_ssl module allows you to create a secure website using SSL. The OpenSSL software is used to create the private and public keys.
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Things You'll Need
- Apache2 HTTP Server
- mod_ssl module
- OpenSSL
- Linux or Unix operating system
Instructions
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1
Download and install Apache2 with the mod_ssl module and OpenSSL.
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2
Open a terminal window.
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3
Type the command "openssl genrsa -out cert.key 1024" to create the private SSL key.
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4
Type "openssl req -new -key cert.key -out cert.csr" and send the ".csr" file to a Certificate Authority to generate a Certificate Authority signed certificate. Type "openssl req -new -key cert.key -x509 -out cert.crt" to create a self-signed certificate.
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Place the private key in the "/etc/apache2/ssl.key/" directory.
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Place the certificate in the "/etc/apache2/ssl.crt/" directory.
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Type the command "a2enmod ssl" to enable the Apache mod_ssl module.
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Open the "/etc/apache2/httpd.conf" file in any text editor.
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Add the following three lines to top of the file:
NameVirtualHost *:80
NameVirtualHost *:443
Listen 443
This instructs the Web server to expect traffic on both port 80 and port 443. -
10
Add a "VirtualHost" directive for port 80:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerAdmin webmaster@example.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/htdocs/example
ServerName www.example.com
ServerAlias example.com
</VirtualHost> -
11
Add a "VirtualHost" directive for port 443:
<VirtualHost *:443>
ServerAdmin webmaster@example.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/htdocs/example-secure
ServerName secure.example.com
SSLEngine on
SSLCertificateFile /etc/apache2/ssl.crt/cert.crt
SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/apache2/ssl.key/cert.key
</VirtualHost> -
12
Add a "Directory" directive that states the SSL must be used when serving the contents of the secure directory:
<Directory /var/www/htdocs/example-secure>
SSLRequireSSL
</Directory>
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