Apache explained


Apache HTTP Server
The Apache HTTP Server, commonly referred to simply as Apache, is a web server notable for playing a key role in the initial growth of the World Wide Web. Apache was the first viable alternative to the Netscape Communications Corporation web server (currently known as Sun Java System Web Server), and has since evolved to rival other Unix-based web servers in terms of functionality and performance. Since April 1996 Apache has been the most popular HTTP server on the World Wide Web; as of March 2007 Apache served 58% of all websites.

The project's name was chosen for two reasons: out of respect for the Native American Indian tribe of Apache (Inde), well-known for their endurance and their skills in warfare and due to the project's roots as a set of patches to the codebase of NCSA HTTPd 1.3 - making it "a patchy" server.

Apache is developed and maintained by an open community of developers under the auspices of the Apache Software Foundation. The application is available for a wide variety of operating systems including Microsoft Windows, Novell NetWare and Unix-like operating systems (see, Linux Web Hosting directory) and Mac OS X. Released under the Apache License, Apache is free and open source software.
HistoryThe first version of the Apache web server was created by Robert McCool, who was heavily involved with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications web server, known simply as NCSA HTTPd. When Rob left NCSA in mid-1994, the development of httpd stalled, leaving a variety of patches for improvements circulating through e-mails.

Rob McCool was not alone in his efforts. Several other developers helped form the original "Apache Group": Brian Behlendorf, Roy T. Fielding, Rob Hartill, David Robinson, Cliff Skolnick, Randy Terbush, Robert S. Thau, Andrew Wilson, Eric Hagberg, Frank Peters, and Nicolas Pioch.

Version 2 of the Apache server was a substantial re-write of much of the Apache 1.x code, with a strong focus on further modularization and the development of a portability layer, the Apache Portable Runtime. The Apache 2.x core has several major enhancements over Apache 1.x. These include UNIX threading, better support for non-Unix platforms (such as Microsoft Windows), a new Apache API, and IPv6 support. The first alpha release of Apache 2 was in March 2000, with the first general availability release on 6 April 2002.

Version 2.2 introduced a new authorization API that allows for more flexibility. It also features improved cache modules and proxy modules.

Features
Apache supports a variety of features, many implemented as compiled modules which extend the core functionality. These can range from server-side programming language support to authentication schemes. Some common language interfaces support mod_perl, mod_python, Tcl, and PHP (see Best PHP Hosting Company). Popular authentication modules include mod_access, mod_auth, and mod_digest. A sample of other features include SSL and TLS support (mod_ssl), a proxy module, a useful URL rewriter (also known as a rewrite engine, implemented under mod_rewrite), custom log files (mod_log_config), and filtering support (mod_include and mod_ext_filter). Apache logs can be analyzed through a web browser using free scripts such as AWStats/W3Perl or Visitors.

Virtual hosting allows one Apache installation to serve many different actual websites. For example, one machine, with one Apache installation could simultaneously serve www.example.com, www.test.com, test47.test-server.test.com, etc.

Apache features configurable error messages, DBMS-based authentication databases, and content negotiation. It is also supported by several graphical user interfaces (GUIs) which permit easier, more intuitive configuration of the server.

UsageApache is primarily used to serve both static content and dynamic Web pages on the World Wide Web. Many web applications are designed expecting the environment and features that Apache provides.

Apache is the web server component of the popular LAMP web server application stack, alongside Linux, MySQL (see Best MySQL provider), and the PHP/Perl/Python programming languages.

Apache is redistributed as part of various proprietary software packages including the Oracle RDBMS or the IBM WebSphere application server. Mac OS X integrates Apache as its built-in web server and as support for its WebObjects application server. It is also supported in some way by Borland in the Kylix and Delphi development tools. Apache is included with Novell NetWare 6.5, where it is the default web server.

Apache is used for many other tasks where content needs to be made available in a secure and reliable way. One example is sharing files from a personal computer over the Internet. A user who has Apache installed on their desktop can put arbitrary files in the Apache's document root which can then be shared.

Programmers developing web applications often use a locally installed version of Apache in order to preview and test code as it is being developed.

Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) is the main competitor to Apache, trailed by Sun Microsystems Sun Java System Web Server and a host of other applications such as Zeus Web Server.


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vsys.host Icon 🏆 Alexa 118,485 - 📅 - Secure Your Website: The Ultimate Guide to Apache HTTPS Redirection - This comprehensive guide builds upon the foundational steps of enabling HTTPS redirection in Apache, expanding your toolkit to not only implement redirection but also to optimize and troubleshoot it. The post Secure Your Website: The Ultimate Guide
redswitches.com Icon 🏆 Alexa 239,829 - 📅 - How To Install LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) in Ubuntu 22.04 - How to install LAMP in Ubuntu is often the first question developers ask when thinking of deploying PHP-based applications. The LAMP stack is a popular choice for hosting websites and web applications due to its open-source nature and flexibility. ...
vsys.host Icon 🏆 Alexa 118,485 - 📅 - How to install Hestia web control panel on Debian 12 Bookworm - Hestia is an open-source web server control panel for Linux, built upon the Vesta Control Panel project. It offers a user-friendly graphical interface for configuring and managing Apache or Nginx web servers with PHP-FPM, making it ideal for those ...
f2h.cloud Icon 🏆 Alexa 495,542 - 📅 - How To Install RoundCube CentOS 7 Apache - How To Install RoundCube CentOS 7 Apache So far in our Exim mail server series, we have Set up an Exim mail server and then used that server as a smarthost. We connected a cPanel server to the smarthost and […] The post How To Install RoundCube ...
akamai.com Icon 🏆 Alexa 14,519 - 📅 - Observed Exploitation Attempts of Struts 2 S2-066 Vulnerability (CVE-2023-50164) - The Akamai Security Intelligence Group has seen numerous exploitation attempts on Apache Struts 2 since December 7, 2023, when a critical CVE was released.
cheapsslshop.com Icon 🏆 Alexa 522,713 - 📅 - How to Generate CSR for Apache with OpenSSL? - To enable safe and encrypted connection between your Apache server and users, you must first generate a CSR (Certificate Signing Request) in order to get an SSL/TLS certificate. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of generating a CSR ...
f2h.cloud Icon 🏆 Alexa 495,542 - 📅 - Set up a website on an Ubuntu using Apache Virtual Hosts - Set up a website on an Ubuntu Server using Apache Virtual Hosts (Name-Bassed Hosting) NEW ARTICLE: There is a newer version of this article based on Apache Virtual Hosts with SSL, PHP and MySQL. Host Websites With Apache SSL Virtual […] The post ...

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KUSANAGI 9 Enhanced with ‘Apache httpd behind Nginx’ Feature - 📅 - Prime Strategy (prime-strategy.co.jp) (crunchbase.com), a Japanese company known for its innovative solutions in the global hosting market, has unveiled a "groundbreaking new feature" to its latest KUSANAGI web acceleration technology release, KUSANAGI 9. The latest update introduces 'Apache httpd behind Nginx ...
Apache vs. Nginx: A Comparative Web Server Analysis for the Modern Business - 📅 - Two heavyweights have developed in the always changing web hosting space, Apache (httpd.apache.org) and Nginx (nginx.com), which together account for over half of all traffic on the Internet. While both aim to fulfil the demands of modern operating systems, they offer distinct advantages, making the choice between ...
Latest Apache Cassandra Release Focuses on Cloud Native Future - 📅 - The open source distributed NoSQL (en.wikipedia.org) database (hjne.ws) known as Apache Cassandra (cassandra.apache.org) has just been updated to version 4.1 by the Apache Cassandra Project, paving the way for a more cloud-native future and allowing a larger ecosystem. The new version, which is a part of Cassandra's ...
VMware Becomes Platinum Sponsor of the Apache Software Foundation - 📅 - VMware (vmware.com) Becomes Platinum Sponsor Of The Apache Software Foundation The Apache Software Foundation (ASF) has welcomed VMware as its latest sponsor at the Platinum level. The ASF is a US 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization aimed at open-source software development. Examples of hosting and ...
Automated Certificate Lifecycle Management for Apache HTTP Server Released - 📅 - Sectigo (sectigo.com), a worldwide pioneer in digital certificates and automated Certificate Lifecycle Management (CLM), has released a new interface for Apache HTTP (en.wikipedia.org) Server users. Sectigo developers collaborated with the Apache community to enhance this sophisticated automation functionality in ...
Apache Releases Security Update for New Log4j Vulnerability - 📅 - In Log4j, a new vulnerability has been discovered that would allow remote code execution in certain cases. The Apache Software Foundation has now issued a security upgrade (Log4j 2.17.1) to address this 'CVE-2021-44832 (logging.apache.org)' vulnerability. An attacker can change the logging configuration file and ...
Critical Vulnerability Found in Apache Log4j 2, Immediate Fix Required - 📅 - Critical Vulnerability Found In Apache Log4j (logging.apache.org) 2, Immediate Fix Required Before the weekend, the Apache Software Foundation, which supervises Log4j development, has released a fix for a newly found cybersecurity weakness in Apache Log4j, an open-source software application used by many ...