---
title: "How to Install and Configure Apache on Ubuntu and Windows"
description: "Learn how to install the Apache web server on Ubuntu and Windows, including virtual hosts, mod_rewrite, and firewall configuration."
url: "https://www.alemasone.com/en/install-configure-apache-ubuntu-windows/"
language: "en"
published: 2024-03-20
updated: 2026-09-19
categories: ["Programming and Development"]
translations:
  it: "https://www.alemasone.com/it/installare-apache-ubuntu-windows/"
  es: "https://www.alemasone.com/es/instalar-configurar-apache-ubuntu-windows/"
  fr: "https://www.alemasone.com/fr/installer-configurer-apache-ubuntu-windows/"
  pt: "https://www.alemasone.com/pt/instalar-configurar-apache-ubuntu-windows/"
  de: "https://www.alemasone.com/de/apache-ubuntu-windows-installieren-konfigurieren/"
---

# How to Install and Configure Apache on Ubuntu and Windows

On Ubuntu, Apache is installed with a single command and starts automatically. On Windows, however, you have to download it, extract the files, and manually register it as a service, because the Apache Software Foundation does not provide an installer. The current stable version is 2.4.68, released on June 8, 2026.

[Apache HTTP Server](https://httpd.apache.org/) has been around since 1995 and remains one of the most widely used web servers: it receives requests from the browser and serves pages, either on its own or alongside PHP and a database. Let's look at the installation on both systems and then cover the essentials you'll need immediately after: firewalls, virtual hosts, and modules.

## Installing Apache on Ubuntu

These commands work on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (the latest long-term support version) as well as previous supported LTS versions, 24.04 and 22.04. Administrator privileges are required.

1. Update the package list and install the server:

   ```bash
   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install apache2
   ```

2. Verify that the service has started:

   ```bash
   sudo systemctl status apache2
   ```

   If you see `active (running)` everything is fine. Otherwise, start it with `sudo systemctl start apache2`.

3. Open your browser to `http://localhost`: the default "Apache2 Default Page" should appear. If the server is a different machine, you'll need its IP address, which you can find using `hostname -I` (usually the first one in the list), and enter it into your browser as `http://indirizzo-ip`.

   !["Apache2 Ubuntu Default Page" open in the browser after installation](pagina-predefinita-apache-ubuntu.png "If you see this page, the server is installed and listening")

From here on out, these are the four commands you will use most often:

```bash
sudo systemctl start apache2      # avvia
sudo systemctl stop apache2       # ferma
sudo systemctl restart apache2    # riavvia
sudo systemctl reload apache2     # ricarica la configurazione senza interrompere le connessioni
```

After making configuration changes, use `reload`: ongoing requests will not be interrupted.

Apache starts automatically every time you boot up. If you don't want this, disable it with `sudo systemctl disable apache2` and re-enable it with `sudo systemctl enable apache2`.

### The UFW firewall

On Ubuntu, the firewall is called UFW, and you must instruct it which ports to leave open. Apache registers three profiles by default:

```bash
sudo ufw app list
```

The list shows `Apache` (port 80 only), `Apache Secure` (port 443 only), and `Apache Full` (both). I recommend opening `Apache Full` directly, because you'll be adding an HTTPS certificate sooner or later; if you only need HTTP for now, use `'Apache'`:

```bash
sudo ufw allow 'Apache Full'
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status
```

> **Watch out for SSH.** If you are working on a [remote server via SSH](/en/securely-install-configure-ssh-ubuntu/), authorize the SSH connection **before** enabling the firewall by using `sudo ufw allow OpenSSH`. Enabling UFW without that rule will close the port you are connected through and lock you out of the server.

### Where the files are located

| Path | Content |
|----------|-----------|
| `/var/www/html` | Default website files |
| `/etc/apache2/apache2.conf` | Main configuration |
| `/etc/apache2/ports.conf` | Ports Apache listens on (80, and 443 with SSL) |
| `/etc/apache2/sites-available/` | Available virtual hosts |
| `/etc/apache2/sites-enabled/` | Active virtual hosts (links to the previous ones) |
| `/var/log/apache2/access.log` | Access log |
| `/var/log/apache2/error.log` | Error log: the first place to look when something goes wrong |

## Installing Apache on Windows

For Windows, the project only distributes source code and refers you to third-party builds. The most popular and up-to-date is from **[Apache Lounge](https://www.apachelounge.com/)**, listed on the [official download page](https://httpd.apache.org/download.cgi). **Apache Haus**, which appears in many guides, hasn't been updated since 2022: skip it.

> **Do you only need a development environment?** If you want to work locally with PHP and MySQL, an all-in-one package like Laragon or WampServer will save you all the following steps. Manual installation makes sense when you want to choose your own version and configuration, understand how the server works, or keep it running permanently.

1. Free up port 80. If you have enabled [IIS](/en/install-lets-encrypt-ssl-windows-iis/) (Microsoft's web server included in Pro editions), disable it via **Turn Windows features on or off** by unchecking **Internet Information Services**. Further down, you'll find how to discover which other program is occupying the port.

2. Install the **Visual C++ Redistributable** required by your chosen build: this is listed on the download page and is the most common cause of startup failures.

3. Download the 64-bit ZIP archive and extract the `Apache24`folder into `C:\`, so that you have `C:\Apache24`. This is the path the default configuration expects.

4. Open `C:\Apache24\conf\httpd.conf` with a text editor. If you extracted it elsewhere, correct the `SRVROOT` variable at the top of the file—which all other directives use as a base—always using forward slashes:

   ```apache
   Define SRVROOT "c:/Apache24"
   ```

   While you're at it, remove the hash symbol before `ServerName` and type `ServerName localhost:80`: this prevents the AH00558 warning on every startup.

5. Open Command Prompt **as administrator** and test the configuration:

   ```bat
   cd C:\Apache24\bin
   httpd.exe -t
   ```

   The expected response is `Syntax OK`. If there is an error, the message will indicate the file and line that needs fixing.

6. Register Apache as a Windows service so it starts automatically on boot:

   ```bat
   httpd.exe -k install
   ```

7. Start the service and verify via `http://localhost`:

   ```bat
   httpd.exe -k start
   ```

To manage it later: `httpd.exe -k stop` stops it, `httpd.exe -k restart` restarts it, and `httpd.exe -k uninstall` removes the service. You can also find it under Windows Services (`services.msc`) named **Apache2.4**: by double-clicking, you can choose whether to set it to start automatically or manually. In manual mode, you can start it with `net start Apache2.4` from an administrator prompt.

The installation also includes `ApacheMonitor.exe`, a small icon in the notification area that allows you to start and stop the server without opening the prompt.

**If port 80 is already in use**

On Windows, port 80 is often taken by other programs: IIS, older versions of Skype, or certain system services. To find out which one is using it, use a command prompt with administrator privileges:

```bat
netstat -aon | findstr :80
```

The last number in the row is the process ID (PID), which you can look up in Task Manager under the **Details** tab. You can either close that program or move Apache to another port by modifying `httpd.conf`:

```apache
Listen 8080
```

In that case, the site will respond on `http://localhost:8080`.

### Moving website files

By default, Apache serves files from `C:\Apache24\htdocs`. If you prefer to keep your sites on another drive, for example to simplify backups, change both `httpd.conf` and `DocumentRoot` as well as the following `<Directory>` block:

```apache
DocumentRoot "D:/Siti"
<Directory "D:/Siti">
```

Then place an `index.html` file in the folder, restart the service, and reload `http://localhost`.

### What about macOS?

macOS comes with a preinstalled version of Apache, but it is outdated. It's easier to install one using [Homebrew](https://brew.sh/):

```bash
brew install httpd
brew services start httpd
```

Configuration files are located under `/opt/homebrew/etc/httpd/` on Apple Silicon Macs, and the server responds on port 8080 by default.

## Virtual hosts: multiple sites on the same server

A virtual host tells Apache which folder to serve based on the requested site name. It is worth using even for a single site, as it keeps your configuration separate from the default one.

### On Ubuntu

1. Create the website folder and assign permissions:

   ```bash
   sudo mkdir -p /var/www/esempio.test/public_html
   sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/www/esempio.test/public_html
   ```

2. Create the `/etc/apache2/sites-available/esempio.test.conf` file with this content:

   ```apache
   <VirtualHost *:80>
       ServerName esempio.test
       ServerAlias www.esempio.test
       DocumentRoot /var/www/esempio.test/public_html

       <Directory /var/www/esempio.test/public_html>
           Options -Indexes +FollowSymLinks
           AllowOverride All
           Require all granted
       </Directory>

       ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/esempio.test-error.log
       CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/esempio.test-access.log combined
   </VirtualHost>
   ```

3. Enable the site, disable the default one, and reload:

   ```bash
   sudo a2ensite esempio.test.conf
   sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf
   sudo apache2ctl configtest
   sudo systemctl reload apache2
   ```

4. To test it locally, add the line `127.0.0.1 esempio.test` to the `/etc/hosts` file.

The `AllowOverride All` directive is what allows `.htaccess` files to work; without it, rewrite rules in subdirectories are ignored.

### On Windows

The mechanism is the same, but virtual hosts are located in `conf/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf`, which must first be enabled by removing the hash symbol from the corresponding line in `httpd.conf`:

```apache
Include conf/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf
```

Then define the hosts using the same syntax seen above, using Windows-style paths (`c:/siti/esempio/public_html`), and add the matching entry in the `C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts` file, which must be opened with an editor run as administrator.

## Enabling mod_rewrite and other modules

`mod_rewrite` rewrites addresses: it is used by WordPress's readable URLs, PHP framework routing, and any redirect written in a `.htaccess` file. It is disabled by default.

On Ubuntu:

```bash
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo a2enmod headers
sudo a2enmod ssl
sudo systemctl restart apache2
```

On Windows, you modify `httpd.conf` by removing the hash symbol from the module lines:

```apache
LoadModule rewrite_module modules/mod_rewrite.so
LoadModule headers_module modules/mod_headers.so
```

In both cases, `mod_rewrite` only works if `AllowOverride All` is also present in the `<Directory>` block of the website folder. When rewrite rules aren't working, this is usually what's missing.

To see the list of active modules: `apache2ctl -M` on Ubuntu, `httpd.exe -M` on Windows.

## When something isn't working

**Apache won't start.** Try testing your configuration with `apache2ctl configtest` or `httpd.exe -t`: the error will indicate the file and line number. On Windows, make sure you have installed the required Visual C++ Redistributable.

**403 Forbidden Error.** Folder permissions issue or a missing `Require all granted` directive in the `<Directory>` block. On Ubuntu, files must be readable by user `www-data`.

**Rewrite rules are being ignored.** The module is not active, or `AllowOverride` is set to `None`.

**The default page appears instead of your site.** The virtual host hasn't been enabled, or the name in the `hosts` file does not match what was written in `ServerName`.

In any case, the first place to look is the error log: `/var/log/apache2/error.log` on Ubuntu, `C:\Apache24\logs\error.log` on Windows.

## FAQ

### Which is better: Apache or Nginx?

It depends on your workload and what you need to serve. [Nginx](https://nginx.org/) handles many concurrent connections more efficiently with low resource usage, and it is the most common choice for high-traffic sites. Apache is simpler for beginners, supports per-directory configuration using `.htaccess` files (which Nginx does not), and is what you'll find on most shared hosting providers. Often, they are used together: Nginx in front, Apache behind.

### How do I add PHP support?

On Ubuntu, it's a single command: `sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php`, followed by a service restart. On Windows, you need to download the "Thread Safe" version of PHP separately and link it to Apache by adding lines `LoadModule` and `PHPIniDir` to `httpd.conf`, making sure to use a 64-bit build to match your Apache installation.

### Do I need to open ports on my router to be reachable from the internet?

Yes, to be visible from the outside, you must forward ports 80 and 443 to your computer. Think carefully before doing this: an exposed server must be kept updated and monitored. If you only want to show a site to someone, using a temporary tunnel or a small hosting provider is more secure.

### How do I update Apache on Windows?

Stop the service with `httpd.exe -k stop` and make copies of `httpd.conf`, the `conf` folder, and your website files. Then extract the new version over the old one without overwriting your configuration, verify it with `httpd.exe -t`, and restart. The registered service remains the same; there is no need to reinstall it.

### How do I enable HTTPS?

On a public server, the standard way is to use [Let's Encrypt](https://letsencrypt.org/) with the [Certbot](https://certbot.eff.org/) tool, which obtains the certificate and configures Apache automatically. For local development, you don't need a certificate authority: a self-signed certificate is enough. The browser will flag it as untrusted, but you can still browse the site via HTTPS anyway.

### What is the difference between `restart` and `reload`?

`restart` stops and restarts the process, dropping any ongoing connections. `reload` reloads the configuration while allowing existing requests to finish: on a live server, use this after making changes.