Apache2 Setup

Step 1 — Installing Apache

Apache is available within Ubuntu’s default software repositories, making it possible to install it using conventional package management tools.

Let’s begin by updating the local package index to reflect the latest upstream changes:

sudo apt update

Then, install the apache2 package:

sudo apt install apache2

After confirming the installation, apt will install Apache and all required dependencies.

Step 2 — Checking your Web Server

At the end of the installation process, Ubuntu 20.04 starts Apache. The web server should already be up and running.

Check with the systemd init system to make sure the service is running by typing:

sudo systemctl status apache2

When you have your server’s IP address, enter it into your browser’s address bar:

http://your_server_ip

You should see the default Ubuntu 20.04 Apache web page:

Apache default page

Managing the Apache Process

Now that you have your web server up and running, let’s go over some basic management commands using systemctl.

To stop your web server, type:

sudo systemctl stop apache2

To start the web server when it is stopped, type:

sudo systemctl start apache2

To stop and then start the service again, type:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

If you are simply making configuration changes, Apache can often reload without dropping connections. To do this, use this command:

sudo systemctl reload apache2

By default, Apache is configured to start automatically when the server boots. If this is not what you want, disable this behavior by typing:

sudo systemctl disable apache2

To re-enable the service to start up at boot, type:

sudo systemctl enable apache2

Apache should now start automatically when the server boots again.