Setup a Name-Based Virtual Host in Apache

With name-based virtual hosts you can host multiple websites on the same IP / server. Each website will require an unique hostname.

Note: This article assumes that you have installed Apache on your server.

Prerequisites

• An Apache web server.
• Access to a Linux privileged user such as root.
• Access to the DNS records of a domain or subdomain.

Procedure

1. Login into your server via SSH and switch to root user.

   Shell

   $ su
   or
   $ sudo -i
   

2. Go to your Apache site configuration.

   Shell

   #RHEL and CentOS based distributions:
   # cd /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf
   
   #Ubuntu and Debian based distributions:
   # cd /etc/apache2/sites-available
   

3. Open the configuration file where your site is located.

   Note: This and the following steps may change depending on your configuration. We will assume that you are using the default one.

   Shell

   # nano 000-default.conf
   

   or

   Shell

   # vim 000-default.conf
   

4. Add or edit (if they already exist) the following directives to your desire virtual host.

   Note: You can add as many virtual hosts as you want. However, each one should have a unique server name.
   If you are using SSL: You should also add these directives to the SSL virtual host, port 443.

   apache

   <VirtualHost *:80>
       # Here goes the hostname yu want to connect with:
       ServerName www.example.com 
       # You might want to add an alias (optional):
       ServerAlias example.com 
       # This is the location of your website files:
       DocumentRoot "/www/domain"
   </VirtualHost>
   

5. Save and close your file.
   Using Nano:
   To save:
   Ctrl + O
   Enter
   To exit:
   Ctrl + X

   Using Vim:
   Esc
   :wq
   Enter

6. Restart Apache
   Note: This step can change depending on your OS.

   Shell

   #RHEL and CentOS based distributions:
   # systemctl restart httpd
   
   #Ubuntu and Debian based distributions:
   # systemctl restart apache2
   

7. Add an A record on your selected hostname that points to the IP of your server.

Related articles

• Manage DNS records in the MyRackspace Portal (Dedicated Customers)
• Create DNS records with Cloud DNS (Cloud Customers)

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