Apache

Before starting: Make sure you have the necessary folders and permissions — get more information.

Links: Homepage | Downloads | Documentation
Dependencies: APR | APR-util | PCRE
Version: 2.4.34

The Apache HTTP Server is an open-source web server that was released in 1995.

Get the Code

Switch to /usr/local/src and download the source package.

cd /usr/local/src
curl --remote-name http://apache.mirror.iweb.ca//httpd/httpd-VERSION.tar.gz

Extract the archive and move into the folder.

tar -xzvf httpd-VERSION.tar.gz
cd httpd-VERSION

Compile and Install

Configure, compile and install into /usr/local/mac-dev-env/apache-VERSION.

./configure --prefix=/usr/local/mac-dev-env/apache-VERSION --enable-so
make
make install

Create a symbolic link to /usr/local/apache.

sudo ln -s mac-dev-env/apache-VERSION /usr/local/apache

Configuration File

Edit Apache's configuration file.

nano /usr/local/apache/conf/httpd.conf

Copy and paste the following text at the end of the aforementioned file. Make sure you replace the <username> string (3 times) with your macOS short username. This configuration only allows access from your local computer; all outside access is blocked.

ServerName dev.local
User <username>
Group staff

DocumentRoot "/Users/<username>/Sites"
ErrorLog "/usr/local/var/log/apache.log"
CustomLog "/usr/local/var/log/apache.log" common
<Directory "/Users/<username>/Sites">
  Options All
  AllowOverride All
  IndexOptions NameWidth=*

  Require all denied
  Require host localhost
  Require host 127.0.0.1
</Directory>

You also need to disable the ErrorLog and CustomLog directives in the Apache configuration file (leaving the above directives intact). Otherwise, Apache will log the same information in two separate locations.

Web Root

Create a folder that will contain your web sites and applications. I keep my projects in ~/Sites. You can place your projects wherever you'd like but make sure you update the path when mentioned in this article.

mkdir -p ~/Sites

Shell

Execute the following lines to update your Bash startup script.

echo 'export PATH=/usr/local/apache/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bash_profile
echo 'export MANPATH=/usr/local/apache/man:$MANPATH' >> ~/.bash_profile

Load the new shell configurations.

source ~/.bash_profile

Manual Start/Stop

To start the HTTPd.

sudo apachectl start

To shut down the HTTPd.

sudo apachectl stop

Automatically Start the Server at Boot

Create a configuration file for Launchd.

sudo nano /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.apache.apache2.plist

Do not name the file org.apache.httpd.plist as it collides with a similarly named file for loading the macOS web server.

Copy and paste the following text into the aforementioned file.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
  <dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>org.apache.apache2</string>

    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
      <string>/usr/local/apache/bin/httpd</string>
      <string>-D</string>
      <string>FOREGROUND</string>
    </array>

    <key>StandardOutPath</key>
    <string>/usr/local/var/log/apache.log</string>
    <key>StandardErrorPath</key>
    <string>/usr/local/var/log/apache.log</string>

    <key>RunAtLoad</key>
    <true/>
    <key>KeepAlive</key>
    <true/>
  </dict>
</plist>

Register with Launchd and start the server.

sudo launchctl load /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.apache.apache2.plist

Deregister with Launchd.

sudo launchctl unload /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.apache.apache2.plist

Verify the Installation

Verify that you have successfully installed Apache.

httpd -v

Visit your web server root page.

http://localhost/