Apache Webserver – A quick tutorial for new Admins
Apache is one of the most commonly used web servers out there. If you are running your own cPanel server your websites will actually run on Apache. If you’re new to administering a web server or just want to learn to keep your managed server under control without yelling for support each and every time it is useful to know some basic Linux commands for Apache. Unless specified otherwise – all commands listed need to be executed from the command line on your server.
How to start, stop or restart Apache (commands need to be executed from the command line)?
Restart: “/etc/rc.d/init.d/apachectl restart”
Stop: “/etc/rc.d/init.d/apachectl stop”
Start: “/etc/rc.d/init.d/apachectl start”
Where is the Apache httpd.conf file located?
“/etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf”
How many Apache processes are running on your server at any given time?
“ps auwx |grep httpd |wc -l”
Where is the Apache error log located on the server?
“/var/log/httpd/error_log”
Where is the Apache status log file located on the server?
“/var/log/httpd/access_log”
HTTP Codes
200 = Successful Request
304 = Successful request, but the web page requested hasn’t been modified since the current version in the remote web browser’s cache.
401 = Unauthorized access. Someone entered an incorrect username / password on a password protected page
403 = Forbidden. File permissions prevents Apache from reading the file.
404 = Page Not found. The page requested doesn’t exist.
500 = Internal Server Error
Related posts:
- Apache HTTP Web server configuration Tutorial
- Upgrade To APACHE 2.0 Web Server
- Quick Cpanel/WHM/Server Troubleshooting
- What is Mod_Security (on cPanel server)?
- How to remove or disable mod_evasive from Apache Web Server?
- How to rotate your Apache Log Files?
- Linux Tutorial: How to change the IP ADDRESS on a Linux machine

