Apache http server (httpd)

This section describes how to use apache (https://httpd.apache.org/) as a web server, one of the two reverse-proxy options supported alongside Nginx.

To use HTTPD, it needs to be installed in the system and the daemon should be running with the appropriate site configurations setup.

Installation

The official installation instructions can be found at https://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.4/install.html

The recommended method of installation is to use the package manager provided by the Operating System (apt-get, yum, etc.).

RedHat:

yum install httpd

Ubuntu:

apt install apache2

Configurations

Once installed, the httpd configuration needs to be created to proxy the web server components as described in https://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.4/vhosts/examples.html and https://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.4/mod/mod_proxy.html#proxypass

Configuration example for CentOS

Here is an example httpd configuration that sets up the Web Application Server:

1. Create the file: /etc/httpd/sites-available/corridorapp.conf with below configs

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName www.corridorapp.com
    ServerAlias corridorapp
    ProxyPass / http://localhost:5002/
    ProxyPassReverse / http://localhost:5002/
    ErrorLog /var/www/corridorapp/log/error.log
    CustomLog /var/www/corridorapp/log/requests.log combined
</VirtualHost>

2. Create symlink to the above file as /etc/httpd/sites-enabled/corridorapp.conf using the command:

   • This is done to control the configs available versus the subset of those enabled

3. Add below text to /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf: IncludeOptional sites-enabled/*.conf

Configuration example for CentOS (SSL based)

To setup a secure connection, update the /etc/httpd/sites-available/corridorapp.conf file as below:

<VirtualHost *:443>
    SSLEngine On
    SSLCertificateFile /certs/app.crt
    SSLCertificateKeyFile /certs/app.key
    SSLCertificateChainFile /certs/ca.crt
    ServerName www.corridorapp.com
    ServerAlias corridorapp
    ProxyPass / http://localhost:5002/
    ProxyPassReverse / http://localhost:5002/
    ErrorLog /var/www/corridorapp/log/error.log
    CustomLog /var/www/corridorapp/log/requests.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Note

If the httpd is not listening on port 80 (443 for SSL) - but listens on another port, the corresponding port has to be added along with VirtualHost keyword and the Listen param’s value has to be appropriately updated in /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf (/etc/httpd/conf.d/ssl.conf for SSL).

Note: Permission issues

In case of permission issues, ensure user permissions and SELinux is set up correctly.