How to Build a Website Using Apache

Web servers often handle large amounts of connection requests, making it important to choose one which is reliable and effective.

The ability to build websites is a skill that can benefit just about anyone. Whether you are trying to expand your business, promote an organization to which you belong or just put up a personal website, the power of the Internet can be harnessed to your benefit. One important consideration when planning the development of your website is which server you will use. For years, Apache has been the single-most popular web server in use. Knowing how to build a website using Apache as your server is a safe way to create a reliable web presence.

Things You'll Need

• Internet connection
• Web server

Instructions

1. Download and install the latest version of Apache. Apply the latest security patches. Secure your configuration by turning off identifying information which could help an attacker exploit your system. Examples of information to hide include Apache's version number and information about your operating system. Ensure that Apache is not running as the root user. Ideally, it should have its own account. Although much of the configuration may already be set up to provide as much security as possible, check to make sure that this is the case. Consult the most recent version of Apache's manual to check for other settings that may leave you vulnerable.

2. Install any modules which you need to make your website fully functional. Server-side scripting languages such as PHP, Perl and Python require the appropriate modules to be installed and enabled. Similarly, features such as SSL require modules to be enabled and configured.

3. Plan your site's directory structure to keep files organized and easy to manage. Apache's directory structure involves a directory containing the following sub-directories: htdocs, cgi-bin, sbin, conf, images, icons, logs. Htdocs is the most important, as it will contain the pages which will be served to your users. You may wish to consider subdirectories for CSS files, client-side scripts and a directory for any type of user uploads your site may allow.

4. Configure a .htaccess file to make directory-specific changes to your website's configuration. By placing a .htaccess file in any given directory, you can do things such as modify the behavior of a particular file extension, password protect files and directories and enable the execution of CGI scripts.

5. Check the Apache log files periodically. This will allow you to find errors which break the functionality of portions of your website, security issues which may compromise your server or even just minor configuration issues which lead to inefficiency. Fixing these issues allows you to maximize your website's potential.

Tips & Warnings

• Check the permissions on your directories to ensure a secure hosting experience. Improper file permissions can lead to your entire server being compromised.

References

• The Apache Directory Structure
• .htaccess Files
• Log Files

Resources

• Apache HTTP Server Version 2.2 Documentation