configuring.xml revision 63e3aa360c89c0f8fd92eea39c5c5c1f85f5b07e
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="/style/manual.en.xsl"?>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive<manualpage>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive<p>This document describes the files used to configure the Apache
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17asliveHTTP server.</p>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <modulelist>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive </modulelist>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <directivelist>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <directive module="core" type="section">IfDefine</directive>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive </directivelist>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive href="mod/directives.html">directives</a> in plain text
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive configuration files. The main configuration file is usually
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive called <code>httpd.conf</code>. The location of this file is
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive set at compile-time, but may be overridden with the
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive configuration files may be added using the <directive
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive directive may be placed in any of these configuration files.
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive Changes to the main configuration files are only recognized by
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive Apache when it is started or restarted.</p>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <p>New with Apache 1.3.13 is a feature where if any
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive configuration file is actually a directory, Apache will enter
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive that directory and parse any files (and subdirectories) found
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive there as configuration files. One possible use for this would
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive be to add VirtualHosts by creating small configuration files
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive for each host, and placing them in such a configuration
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive directory. Thus, you can add or remove VirtualHosts without
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive editing any files at all, simply adding or deleting them. This
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive makes automating such processes much easier.</p>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <p>The server also reads a file containing mime document types;
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive the filename is set by the <directive
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <p>Apache configuration files contain one directive per line.
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive The back-slash "\" may be used as the last character on a line
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive to indicate that the directive continues onto the next line.
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive There must be no other characters or white space between the
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive back-slash and the end of the line.</p>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <p>Directives in the configuration files are case-insensitive,
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive but arguments to directives are often case sensitive. Lines
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive which begin with the hash character "#" are considered
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive comments, and are ignored. Comments may <strong>not</strong> be
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive included on a line after a configuration directive. Blank lines
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive and white space occurring before a directive are ignored, so
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive you may indent directives for clarity.</p>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <p>You can check your configuration files for syntax errors
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive without starting the server by using <code>apachectl
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive option.</p>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <modulelist>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive </modulelist>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <directivelist>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <directive module="core" type="section">IfModule</directive>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive </directivelist>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <p>Apache is a modular server. This implies that only the most
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive basic functionality is included in the core server. Extended
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive features are available through <a
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive href="mod/index-bytype.html">modules</a> which can be loaded
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive into Apache. By default, a <a
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive href="mod/module-dict.html#Status">base</a> set of modules is
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive included in the server at compile-time. If the server is
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive compiled to use <a href="dso.html">dynamically loaded</a>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive modules, then modules can be compiled separately and added at
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive any time using the <directive module="mod_so">LoadModule</directive>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive Otherwise, Apache must be recompiled to add or remove modules.
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive Configuration directives may be included conditional on a
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive presence of a particular module by enclosing them in an<directive
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive module="core" type="section">IfModule</directive> block.</p>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <p>To see which modules are currently compiled into the server,
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive you can use the <code>-l</code> command line option.</p>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <directivelist>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <directive module="core" type="section">Directory</directive>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <directive module="core" type="section">DirectoryMatch</directive>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <directive module="core" type="section">Files</directive>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <directive module="core" type="section">FilesMatch</directive>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <directive module="core" type="section">Location</directive>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <directive module="core" type="section">LocationMatch</directive>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <directive module="core" type="section">VirtualHost</directive>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive </directivelist>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <p>Directives placed in the main configuration files apply to
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive the entire server. If you wish to change the configuration for
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive only a part of the server, you can scope your directives by
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive type="section">Directory</directive>, <directive module="core"
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive type="section">DirectoryMatch</directive>, <directive module="core"
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive type="section">Files</directive>, <directive module="core"
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive type="section">FilesMatch</directive>, <directive module="core"
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive type="section">Location</directive>, and <directive module="core"
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive sections. These sections limit the application of the
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive directives which they enclose to particular filesystem
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive locations or URLs. They can also be nested, allowing for very
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive fine grained configuration.</p>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <p>Apache has the capability to serve many different websites
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive simultaneously. This is called <a href="vhosts/">Virtual
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive Hosting</a>. Directives can also be scoped by placing them
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive inside <directive module="core" type="section">VirtualHost</directive>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive sections, so that they will only apply to requests for a
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive particular website.</p>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <p>Although most directives can be placed in any of these
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive sections, some directives do not make sense in some contexts.
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive For example, directives controlling process creation can only
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive be placed in the main server context. To find which directives
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive can be placed in which sections, check the <a
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive href="mod/directive-dict.html#Context">Context</a> of the
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive directive. For further information, we provide details on <a
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive href="sections.html">How Directory, Location and Files sections
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <directivelist>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive </directivelist>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <p>Apache allows for decentralized management of configuration
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive via special files placed inside the web tree. The special files
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive are usually called <code>.htaccess</code>, but any name can be
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive specified in the <directive module="core">AccessFileName</directive>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive directive. Directives placed in <code>.htaccess</code> files
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive apply to the directory where you place the file, and all
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive sub-directories. The <code>.htaccess</code> files follow the
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive same syntax as the main configuration files. Since
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <code>.htaccess</code> files are read on every request, changes
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive made in these files take immediate effect.</p>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <p>To find which directives can be placed in
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive href="mod/directive-dict.html#Context">Context</a> of the
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive directive. The server administrator further controls what
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive directives may be placed in <code>.htaccess</code> files by
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive configuring the <directive module="core">AllowOverride</directive>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive directive in the main configuration files.</p>
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive <p>For more information on <code>.htaccess</code> files, see
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive Ken Coar's tutorial on <a
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive href="http://apache-server.com/tutorials/ATusing-htaccess.html">
6da407b2e43a613ec833f14d8c05d4494a27f17aslive</manualpage>