How to Install Apache and Secure with Let’s Encrypt Certificate?

Let’s discover ways to set up and safe the Apache HTTP server with the Let’s Encrypt certificates.

Introduction

Apache is without doubt one of the most generally used HTTP internet servers. Organising the apache and securing it with an SSL certificates is step one you must do on your internet purposes.

On this tutorial you’ll discover ways to arrange Apache on your web site on Ubuntu and CentOS. I examined this on DigitalOcean VM.

For demonstration functions. I will use the take a look at area identify take a look at.sanakil.xyz, which is enhanced by Cloudflare.

Remember the take a look at.sanakil.xyz area along with your precise area. 📢

Creation of DNS data

Log in to Cloudflare or your area registrar (if not Cloudflare) and create a A recording to level the area to the IP deal with of the cloud VM.

Set up Apache (Ubuntu)

To maintain the accessible packages updated

sudo apt-get replace

Set up apache

sudo apt-get set up apache2

Enable ports 80 and 443 in your firewall for the HTTP server.

sudo ufw enable 'Apache Full'

Confirm that your put in Apache is working correctly

sudo systemctl standing apache2

Set up Apache (CentOS)

Replace the accessible packages updated.

sudo yum replace

Set up apache

sudo yum set up httpd

Add ports 80 and 443 within the firewall to entry the online app.

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=https

sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Launch apache and examine the operating standing

sudo systemctl begin httpd

sudo systemctl standing httpd

Create VirtualHost for the web site

A digital host will be created in two methods relying on the kind of internet app/web site we serve.

As an example the applying already has an online server like Node operating on a port. We are able to use one proxy to serve it in apache. Or if the app solely provides the recordsdata as static websites. We are able to do the path of the applying for use in apache.

Create a digital host file in apache – the configuration file will be any identify. Nevertheless it’s higher to stay to the area identify we will present the online app for straightforward identification.

Further settings for CentOS

In CentOS (SELinux), not every thing is enabled by default, like Ubuntu.

We should create websites enabled And sites-available folders in apache.

websites enabled – tells apache to offer the customer with the conf recordsdata in it

sites-available – save the digital host configuration recordsdata

sudo mkdir /and so on/httpd/sites-available /and so on/httpd/sites-enabled

Now inform the apache to learn the conf file within the sites-enabled listing.

sudo vi /and so on/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

Add the road beneath to the top of the file

IncludeOptional sites-enabled/*.conf

Configure Apache to serve recordsdata

Create a listing for internet hosting your internet app

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/take a look at.sanakil.xyz/webapp

sudo vi /var/www/take a look at.sanakil.xyz/webapp/index.html

Paste the HTML snippet beneath for testing

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>Apache webapp</title>
</head>
<physique>
<h1>My Apache webapp is working in take a look at.sanakil.xyz</h1>
</physique>
</html>

Create a folder to generate and retailer logs

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/take a look at.sanakil.xyz/log
sudo contact /var/www/take a look at.sanakil.xyz/request.log
sudo contact /var/www/take a look at.sanakil.xyz/log/error.log

Digital host configuration

Open configuration file(ubuntu)

sudo vi /and so on/apache2/sites-available/take a look at.sanakil.xyz.conf

Open configuration file(CentOS)

sudo vi /and so on/httpd/sites-available/take a look at.sankil.xyz.conf

Paste the configuration snippet beneath by altering your area identify

<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName take a look at.sanakil.xyz
ServerAlias take a look at.sanaki.xyz
DocumentRoot /var/www/take a look at.sanakil.xyz/webapp
ErrorLog /var/www/take a look at.sankil.xyz/log/error.log
CustomLog /var/www/take a look at.sanakil.xyz/log/requests.log mixed
</VirtualHost>

Present the required permission on your folder.

sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/www/take a look at.sanakil.xyz

sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/take a look at.sanakil.xyz

Allow your digital host configuration file in apache (Ubuntu).

sudo a2ensite take a look at.sanakil.xyz.conf

For safety causes, disable the default configuration file

sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf

Restart apache for the modifications to take impact.

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Allow your digital host configuration file in apache (CentOS).

Create a symbolic hyperlink for apache

sudo ln -s /and so on/httpd/sites-available/take a look at.sanakil.xyz.conf 
/and so on/httpd/sites-enabled/take a look at.sanakil.xyz.conf

Restart apache for the modifications to take impact.

sudo systemctl restart httpd

Allow HTTPS

Enabling HTTPS in apache internet server in Ubuntu is made straightforward by utilizing certificates bot And Let’s code.

Let’s Encrypt is a non-profit group that has offered free SSL certificates for hundreds of thousands of internet sites.

Certbot is software program that routinely units HTTPS for our web site utilizing let’s encryption.

Add and set up Certbot for apache (Ubuntu).

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:certbot/certbot

sudo apt set up python-certbot-apache

Add and set up Certbot for apache (CentOS).

sudo yum set up epel-release

sudo yum set up certbot python2-certbot-apache mod_ssl

Acquire SSL certificates

sudo certbot --apache -d your-domain-name

If all verification is completed by certbot with none issues.

An HTTPS redirect is requested. Choose choice 2 and enter.

That’s it.

If every thing works appropriately, https://take a look at.sanakil.xyz will present a easy HTML index web page that we created.

Conclusion

I hope this provides you an thought about putting in and implementing an SSL certificates on Apache.

Subsequent, discover ways to deploy a certificates in Nginx.