Vidensdatabase

Apache Virtual Hosts allow a single server to host multiple independent websites, each identified by its own domain name and configuration file.

Prerequisites

• Apache installed and running
• One or more domains with DNS pointing to your VPS

Step 1 — Create the Website Directory

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/example.com/public_html
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/www/example.com/public_html

Step 2 — Add a Test Page

nano /var/www/example.com/public_html/index.html

<h1>Welcome to example.com</h1>

Step 3 — Create the Virtual Host File

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/example.com.conf

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName example.com
    ServerAlias www.example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/example.com/public_html

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example.com-error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example.com-access.log combined

    <Directory /var/www/example.com/public_html>
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Step 4 — Enable the Site

sudo a2ensite example.com.conf

Step 5 — Disable the Default Site (Optional)

sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf

Step 6 — Test and Reload

sudo apache2ctl configtest
sudo systemctl reload apache2

Repeat for Additional Domains

Create a new .conf file per domain, each with its own ServerName and DocumentRoot.

Adding HTTPS

sudo certbot --apache -d example.com -d www.example.com

Common Errors

"AH00558: apache2 could not reliably determine the server's fully qualified domain name" — harmless warning; set ServerName globally in /etc/apache2/apache2.conf to silence it.

403 Forbidden on a specific site — verify both file permissions and the <Directory> block's Require all granted.

Wrong site served for a domain — virtual hosts are matched in file load order when ServerName conflicts exist; check apache2ctl -S to see the resolved order.

Best Practices

• One .conf file per domain for clarity
• Always run apache2ctl configtest before reloading
• Set correct ownership (www-data) on each site's document root

FAQ

Do I need AllowOverride All?
Only if the site uses .htaccess files (common for WordPress); otherwise AllowOverride None is slightly more performant.

Related Articles

• How to Install Apache on Ubuntu & Debian
• How to Install Let's Encrypt SSL with Certbot (Nginx & Apache)
• How to Fix Common Apache Errors (500/403/AH Errors)