Virtual Private Server User Guide

The Apache Web Server

Chapter 6   The Apache Web Server

Perhaps the most widely known network service is the World Wide Web service. 

When most people think of the Internet, what they really think about is the Web 

services provided by the computers that are connected to the Internet. 

The World Wide Web service is popular because it allows information to be 

presented as attractive, graphically enhanced documents commonly referred to 

as Web pages. Web pages are written in a mark up language called HTML, which 

stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. A Web browser is a client program that 

retrieves HTML code, graphics, and other files from a Web server, interprets the 

data, presents it to you in the way the author intended you to see it. Because of 

the popularity of the World Wide Web, it is an ideal way to share information, 

showcase your business or interests, and sell goods and services through online 

commerce applications. 

Web servers and Web browsers use a standard of communication called HTTP, 

which stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. Because of this, the Web service is 

also known as the HTTP service.

Apache: A Powerful Web Server Application

Your VPS server comes with a powerful Web server called Apache. The Apache 

Web server, which is also known as the httpd application, powers the Web 

services on your server. Although it is fast, Apache is better known for its flexibility, 

power, and stability. 

With Apache, you can host multiple Web sites, or virtual hosts, on a single VPS 

server product. Our provided Apache server is preconfigured to run in both 

standard and secure or SSL mode, allowing you to perform e commerce on your 

server with confidence. Apache is highly configurable and its core functionality 

can be extended through the addition of modules.

This chapter discusses some of the basics for using the Apache Web server. It is 

not intended to be a comprehensive tutorial on how to configure Apache. It merely 

serves as an introduction. Comprehensive documentation on Apache is available 

at the following URL:

http://www.apache.org/docs/

Technical Training Department

August 2004

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