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Virtual Host Settings on CentOS 7

In this guide, you will learn how to install the Apache (httpd) web server on CentOS 7.
You will also securely manage multiple domain names on the same server with Virtual Host and SELinux permissions.

What Will You Learn in This Guide?​

  • Installing Apache on CentOS 7
  • Opening HTTP/HTTPS access with Firewalld
  • Apache service management
  • Virtual Host configuration
  • Setting SELinux log permissions correctly

Prerequisites​

  • A GenixNode server with CentOS 7 installed
  • User with authority sudo
  • The domain name must be directed to the server IP
  • firewalld must be active

1. Apache Installation and Firewall Settings​

Apache is available as a httpd package in the CentOS repositories.

sudo yum update httpd

This command updates Apache package information.

sudo yum install httpd

This command installs the Apache web server.

  • Firewalld Settings
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http
  • Opens HTTP traffic (80).
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=https
  • Opens HTTPS traffic (443).
sudo firewall-cmd --reload
  • Applies firewall rules.

2. Starting and Controlling Apache Service​

sudo systemctl start httpd

Starts the Apache service.

sudo systemctl status httpd

Verifies that the service is running.

Testing from the Browser

Visit the server IP address:

http://SUNUCU_IP

3. Managing Apache Service​

sudo systemctl stop httpd

Stops the service.

sudo systemctl restart httpd

Restarts the service.

sudo systemctl reload httpd

Refreshes the configuration without breaking connections.

sudo systemctl enable httpd

It starts automatically at server startup.

4. Creating a Directory Structure for Virtual Host​

Example domain name: rabisuproje.cloud

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/rabisuproje.cloud/html
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/rabisuproje.cloud/log

Creates site root and log directories.

sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/www/rabisuproje.cloud/html
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www

Sets the correct ownership and permissions.

Creating Test File​

sudo vi /var/www/rabisuproje.cloud/html/index.html
<html>
  <head>
    <title>rabisuproje.cloud</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h1>Başarılı! Virtual Host çalışıyor.</h1>
  </body>
</html>

5. Virtual Host Configuration​

Create Apache Virtual Host directories:

sudo mkdir /etc/httpd/sites-available /etc/httpd/sites-enabled

Open Apache main configuration:

sudo vi /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

Add the following line to the end of the file:

IncludeOptional sites-enabled/*.conf

Create the Virtual Host file:

sudo vi /etc/httpd/sites-available/rabisuproje.cloud.conf
<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName rabisuproje.cloud
    ServerAlias www.rabisuproje.cloud
    DocumentRoot /var/www/rabisuproje.cloud/html
    ErrorLog /var/www/rabisuproje.cloud/log/error.log
    CustomLog /var/www/rabisuproje.cloud/log/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Enable Virtual Host:

sudo ln -s /etc/httpd/sites-available/rabisuproje.cloud.conf /etc/httpd/sites-enabled/

SELinux can prevent Apache from writing to private directories. Let's define the correct context for the log directory.

sudo semanage fcontext -a -t httpd_log_t "/var/www/rabisuproje.cloud/log(/.*)?"

Allows Apache to write logs.

sudo restorecon -R -v /var/www/rabisuproje.cloud/log

It implements the SELinux context.

7. Testing the Configuration​

sudo systemctl restart httpd

Check log permissions:

ls -lZ /var/www/rabisuproje.cloud/log

If log files are created, the configuration is successful.

Test from browser:

http://rabisuproje.cloud

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)​

Why is Apache called httpd?

Historically, the abbreviation HTTP Daemon is used.

Should SELinux be turned off?

No. For security, it must remain open and the correct context must be given.

What does Virtual Host provide?

It allows hosting multiple websites on a single server.

Where are Apache logs kept?

Usually:

/var/www/siteadi/log/

Result​

It is now built on Apache CentOS 7, running securely and with multi-site support.

Thanks to this structure, you can easily host multiple websites on the same server.

With the GenixNode infrastructure, you can publish your projects quickly and safely.