Setting up a virtual host allows you to host multiple websites on a single server by mapping different domain names to specific directories. In this guide, we’ll talk about the steps to create a virtual host on Fedora.
What is a Virtual Host?
A virtual host enables your web server (Apache) to serve different websites based on domain names. This is helpful when running multiple sites or applications on a single server. Let’s create a virtual host on Fedora.
Prerequisites
- Fedora system with Apache installed
- Root or sudo user access
- A domain name (optional for demonstration)
If Apache isn’t installed yet, run the following command:
sudo dnf install httpd -y
Enable and start Apache:
sudo systemctl enable httpd
sudo systemctl start httpd
Step 1: Create Directories for Virtual Hosts
Each virtual host should have its own directory to store website files.
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/web1.com
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/web2.com
Set appropriate permissions:
sudo chown -R apache:apache /var/www/web1.com /var/www/web2.com
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www
Step 2: Create Virtual Host Configuration Files
Create a file at /etc/httpd/conf.d/ location with .conf extension and insert the following code block.
sudo vim /etc/httpd/conf.d/web1.com.conf
<virtualhost *:80>
DocumentRoot “/var/www/web1.com”
ServerName web1.com<Directory “/var/www/web1.com”>
Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
AllowOverride All
Require all granted
</Directory>
</virtualhost>
Step 3: Modify /etc/hosts File (For Testing Locally)
sudo vim /etc/hosts
Insert the domain in hosts file at /etc/hosts as
127.0.0.1 web1.com
Restart the httpd service
sudo systemctl restart httpd
Step 4: Verify the Virtual Hosts
http://web1.com
Step 5: Troubleshooting
403 Forbidden Error:
Ensure that the permissions for the /var/www directories are correct:
sudo chown -R apache:apache /var/www
Firewall Issues:
Make sure HTTP traffic is allowed:
sudo firewall-cmd –permanent –add-service=http
sudo firewall-cmd –reload
if you are with me so far then enjoy.
