How to Install Apache 2.4 Web Server on EC2 Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Welcome to our detailed tutorial on setting up Apache 2.4 Web Server on an EC2 instance running Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. Whether you’re a developer, system administrator, or just dabbling in web hosting, this blog post will provide you with a step-by-step guide to get your Apache server operational. Follow these steps to install and configure Apache 2.4 on an Ubuntu 22.04 EC2 instance.

Prerequisites

An AWS account.
An EC2 Ubuntu 22.04 instance launched and accessible. EC2 instance setup guide.
Security Group settings that allow HTTP (port 80) and HTTPS (port 443) from inbound traffic.
SSH access to the instance with appropriate credentials.

Step 1: Connect to Your EC2 Instance

To start, SSH into your Ubuntu instance:

ssh -i /path/to/your-key.pem ubuntu@your-instance-public-dns-name

Replace /path/to/your-key.pem with the path to your private key file and your-instance-public-dns-name with the public DNS name or IP of your EC2 instance.

Step 2: Update Package Lists

Ensure all your Ubuntu system packages are up-to-date:

sudo apt update

Step 3: Add the PPA Repository

Before installing Apache2, add Ondřej Surý’s Apache2 PPA to get the latest version:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/apache2 -y

The ppa:ondrej/apache2 PPA provides the latest stable version of Apache2 and is maintained by Ondřej Surý, who is known for maintaining up-to-date versions of various software packages.

Step 4: Install Apache2

Update again and install the Apache2 package from the newly added PPA:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2 -y

Step 5: Verify Installation

Confirm that Apache2 is installed and running:

sudo systemctl status apache2

If Apache is running properly, you will see a status indicating active (running).

How to Install Apache2 Web Server on EC2 Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Verify Apache2 version:

sudo apache2ctl -v

Expected output:

Server version: Apache/2.4.59 (Ubuntu)
Server built:   2024-04-09T11:52:19

Step 6: Adjust Firewall

First, enable the firewall:

sudo ufw enable

⚠️ Enable the firewall with caution, as it may disrupt existing network connections, including SSH sessions.

Ensure to allow web traffic on the following standard ports:

sudo ufw allow 80/tcp # Allow HTTP traffic
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp # Allow HTTPS traffic
sudo ufw allow 22/tcp # Allow SSH traffic

Check that SSH (22), HTTP (80) and HTTPS (443) are allowed in the output:

sudo ufw status

Expected output:

Then reload the firewall after making changes:

sudo ufw reload

Additional Tips:

Regularly review firewall rules for alignment with security policies.
Consider restricting access to specific IP addresses or ranges for enhanced security.
Document custom rules for future reference and troubleshooting.
Verify connectivity post-rule implementation to confirm accessibility of desired services.

Step 7: Check Apache2 Access

Open a web browser and type your EC2 instance’s public IP address or public DNS name:

http://your-instance-public-dns-name

You should see the default Apache2 Ubuntu default page:

Step 8: Manage Apache2 Process

Here’s how to stop, start, and enable the Apache2 service:

To stop Apache2:

sudo systemctl stop apache2

To start Apache2:

sudo systemctl start apache2

To enable Apache2 to start on boot:

sudo systemctl enable apache2

To restart Apache2:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Final Step: Configure Virtual Hosts (Optional)

For serving multiple sites, use virtual hosts by creating config files in /etc/apache2/sites-available/.

Here’s a basic example for example.com:

Create a new configuration file:

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

Paste the following content adjusting for your domain:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerAdmin webmaster@example.com
    ServerName example.com
    ServerAlias www.example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html/example.com/public_html
    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Enable the new site and disable the default site:

sudo a2ensite example.com.conf
sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf

Reload Apache2 for changes to take effect:

sudo systemctl reload apache2

Conclusion

You now have Apache2 installed and running on your Ubuntu 22.04 EC2 instance. For additional configurations such as SSL/TLS encryption or module installations, visit the Linuxbeast official guide for obtaining an SSL certificate for an Apache2 Web Server.