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Apache Server SSL Certificate Installation
The location and name of the config file can vary from server to server - especially if you use a special interface to manage your server configuration.
Apache's main configuration file is typically named httpd.conf or apache2.conf. Possible locations for this file include /etc/httpd/ or /etc/apache2/. For a comprehensive listing of default installation layouts for Apache HTTPD on various operating systems and distributions, see Httpd Wiki - DistrosDefaultLayout.
Often, the SSL Certificate configuration is located in a <VirtualHost> block in a different configuration file. The configuration files may be under a directory like /etc/httpd/vhosts.d/, /etc/httpd/sites/, or in a file called httpd-ssl.conf.
One way to locate the SSL Configuration on Linux distributions is to search using grep, as shown in the example below.
Type the following command:
Where "/etc/httpd/" is the base directory for your Apache installation.
If you need your site to be accessible through both secure (https) and non-secure (http) connections, you will need a virtual host for each type of connection. Make a copy of the existing non-secure virtual host and configure it for SSL as described in step 4.
If you only need your site to be accessed securely, configure the existing virtual host for SSL as described in step 4.
Below is a very simple example of a virtual host configured for SSL. The parts listed in bold are the parts that must be added for SSL configuration:
<VirtualHost 192.168.0.1:443>Adjust the file names to match your certificate files:
It is always best to check your Apache config files for any errors before restarting, because Apache will not start again if your config files have syntax errors. Run the following command: (it is apache2ctl on some systems)
apachectl configtestYou can use apachectl commands to stop and start Apache with SSL support:
apachectl stopNote: If Apache does not start with SSL support, try using "apachectl startssl" instead of "apachectl start". If SSL support only loads with "apachectl startssl" we recommend you adjust the apache startup configuration to include SSL support in the regular "apachectl start" command. Otherwise your server may require that you manually restart Apache using "apachectl startssl" in the event of a server reboot. This usually involves removing the <IfDefine SSL> and </IfDefine> tags that enclose your SSL configuration.