How To : Install Apache

Welcome to the first entry on setting up a development web server, in this entry we are going to go over how to install Apache(as the title suggests ;) ).

Before we go through the set up, its important to understand what Apache is and why we need to install it.

Apache is a cross platform, open source Web Server software that allows you to view your project like it is live on the world wide web. Now why do we need to install it? Apache formats all that code and sends it to the browser, allowing for you to see it how it shows up on the web.



So first thing's first, lets go on the web and download our Apache files.


What version do we download? Well since I am installing this on a Windows machine, I'm going to go ahead and use the installer built for version 2.2, and since ssl is not a requirement for me , I'm going to download the installer without ssl.

Download Apache

After successfully downloaded, click the Installer to run it. Click next until you see a screen that looks like :

In the Network Domain enter the domain of the network you will be using it on. Since I am going to be running this locally, I used localhost. For Server Name, you'll want to use your domain with the name you want your server to have (i.e SHAWNSSERVER.mydomain.com ) however, I have used localhost as it is being installed locally. Enter a valid email address, and click Next. 




Choose Typical Install and change the default location (if you want). and click Install. If you have UAC (User Account Control) turned on it will prompt you to make sure it is OK. Click Allow and finish the installation.

Now you have it installed and set up to run, how do we start it ? Well when you installed it it installed it as a service, so to turn Apache ON, OFF or to RESTART it, open your notification area on your computer and hover over the Apache icon. Click it, choose Apache 2.2 and you should see a small menu that looks like :

After editing the "httpd.conf" file, Apache needs to be restarted. Every time. So click start, and hopefully if you open a web browser and type localhost you should see a blank page that says "IT WORKS".

Congratulations, you have successfully installed Apache and ran your first web page.

Tips for Apache 

• After your "httpd.conf" file, you must restart Apache every time
• If there is an error in your "httpd.conf", Apache will not restart successfully, so go and fix that error
• Your Web-root (your web pages) file location is always : "/htdocs"  located in the Apache root folder

Stay tuned for my next post on How To : Configure two Virtual Hosts