If you have ever thought over the idea of hosting your own website or establishing your own digital product then you have come to the right place because in this article we will go through the journey of setting up your web server in linux. This will be a step-by-step roadmap to transform your Linux machine into a powerful hosting hub. Whether you’re an experienced developer or just a curious enthusiast, you can learn about the process from the ground up and gain the tools you need to publish your work online.
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Introduction: Unveiling the Power of Web Server in Linux
If you are new to the Linux world, the I should tell you that you’re stepping into a playground of possibilities. Today, we’re going to set up a web server in Linux – an open-source powerhouse that not only offers stability and security but also grants you several customization options.
Why Linux for Web Servers?
Linux is a popular choice for web servers because of its dependability and versatility. One of the best things about working with open-source collaboration is that you can customize your environment to exactly fit your needs. We’ll take strengths of Linux OS in this tutorial to build a solid framework for hosting your website.
Step 1: Installing a Linux Distribution on your machine
Begin by installing Ubuntu Server on your machine. We have a detailed guide on the installation and setup of a Linux distro on a machine. The installation wizard will guide you through the process, allowing you to choose predefined server setups tailored to your requirements, such as web hosting. You can visit the linux official page to download one of the linux distribution on your machine.
Step 2: Updating and Upgrading Packages
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgradeStep 2: Install Apache Web Server
Apache, a robust and widely used web server, is our choice for this guide. Install it with. The apache2-utils package will install some useful utilities like Apache HTTP server benchmarking tool (ab).
sudo apt install -y apache2 apache2-utilsStart and enable Apache to ensure it launches on boot:
sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo systemctl enable apache2
Step 3: Configuring Firewall Settings
sudo ufw allow 80Step 4: Checking Your Web Server – Is Apache Up and Running?
sudo systemctl status apache2Copy your server’s IP address and paste it into your browser’s address bar. If all is well, you’ll see the default Ubuntu Apache web page.
Step 5: Setting Up Virtual Hosts – Your Domain, Your Rules
If you are planning to host multiple domains on a single server then you will need to setup virtual hosts. We’ll create a domain called “your_domain” (replace it with yours). Create a directory for your_domain and then assign ownership of the directory with $USER enviroment variable and then you have to give read, write and execute permissions to owner and read and write permission to groups and others.
sudo mkdir /var/www/your_domain
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/www/your_domain
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/your_domain
Create a sample index.html:
sudo nano /var/www/your_domain/index.htmlPaste in some HTML, save, and close:
<html>
<head>
<title>Welcome to Your_domain!</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Success! The your_domain virtual host is working!</h1>
</body>
</html>Save and close the file when you are finished. We have to create a virtual host file in order for Apache to serve the html content.
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/your_domain.confPaste the following configuration and you have to replace your_domain with your domain name.
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerAdmin webmaster@localhost
ServerName your_domain
ServerAlias www.your_domain
DocumentRoot /var/www/your_domain
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>Save and close the file when you are finished. Let’s enable the file with the a2ensite tool:
sudo a2ensite your_domain.confDisable the default site defined in 000-default.conf:
sudo a2dissite 000-default.confYou need to restart Apache to implement your changes:
sudo systemctl restart apache2Apache will start serving your domain name. You can test this by navigating to http://your_domain and you will find your html page showing.
Managing the Apache Server – Starting, Stopping, and More
Now the web server is running, we can go over some basic management commands using systemctl to manage the apche server.
Stop the server
sudo systemctl stop apache2Start the server
sudo systemctl start apache2Restart the server
sudo systemctl restart apache2Reload configuration
sudo systemctl reload apache2By default, Apache starts automatically when the server boots. If you want to change this behavior:
Disable Apache Server auto-start
sudo systemctl disable apache2Re-enable Server auto-start
sudo systemctl enable apache2Conclusion: Your Web Server Adventure Begins!
Congratulations! You’ve set up a web server with Linux, and your digital journey has just begun. Feel free to experiment, host different domains, and explore the vast possibilities that your Linux-powered web server offers.
