apachectl

What it does

How to write it

apachectl configtest | graceful | graceful-stop | start | stop | restart | fullstatus | status
httpd [-t] [-S] [-M] [-V] [-v] [-D NAME] [-f FILE] [-C DIRECTIVE]

Main parts

configtest

Check the configuration syntax (same as httpd -t).

graceful

Reload without dropping open connections (on RHEL: systemctl reload httpd).

start, stop, restart

On RHEL these call systemctl.

status, fullstatus

Status (fullstatus needs mod_status).

Most used

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$ run as a normal user# run as root (or with sudo)

1. 1Test the config

   #apachectl configtest
   Syntax OK

   Always before a reload.

2. 2Reload after a change

   #apachectl configtest && systemctl reload httpd

   Only reloads when the syntax is OK.

3. 3Show the virtual hosts

   #httpd -S
   VirtualHost configuration:
   *:80                   is a NameVirtualHost
            default server www1.example.com (/etc/httpd/conf.d/sites.conf:5)

   Which vhost is the default and where it is defined.

4. 4List modules

   #httpd -M | grep -E 'ssl|rewrite|headers'

   Is mod_ssl loaded?

5. 5Version

   #httpd -v

   Server version and build date.

6. 6Where are the config files?

   #httpd -t -D DUMP_INCLUDES

   All included files in order.

7. 7Status and logs

   #systemctl status httpd
   #tail -f /var/log/httpd/error_log

   Errors at start or for requests.

8. 8A 403 Forbidden? Check SELinux

   #ausearch -m avc -ts recent | grep httpd
   #ls -Z /var/www/html

   Wrong labels are the most common reason.

9. 9Hide version information (hardening)

   #printf 'ServerTokens Prod\nServerSignature Off\n' > /etc/httpd/conf.d/security.conf
   #apachectl configtest && systemctl reload httpd

   Headers show only "Apache".

10. 10HTTPS

    #dnf install -y mod_ssl; systemctl restart httpd

    Adds ssl.conf with a test certificate on port 443.

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Files

/etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

Main config.

/etc/httpd/conf.d/

Extra configs and vhosts.

/etc/httpd/conf.modules.d/

Module loading.

/var/log/httpd/

Logs.

/var/www/html/

Default content.

Exit codes