Apache Virtual Hosts

When Apache is started, it scans the configuration file (/etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf) to determine its settings. It generates a table of the server's IP addresses with a hash (known as a vhost address set) containing the associated domain names. With the Apache daemon (httpd) running and listening at the appropriate ports (usually just 80), it's ready to receive requests from clients.

When a browser goes looking for a document that a user has requested, it first has a domain name server translate the domain name entered to an IP address. The browser then sends the user's request to the IP address. As of HTTP 1.1, the browser must also send to the web server the domain name that the user entered; it's no longer to be implied. This requirement makes virtual hosting possible. If Apache has no vhosts, it will use the main server's DocumentRoot directory (often set to /var/www/html). However, if Apache has been configured for vhosts, it will compare the client's request to the ServerName of each vhost with the same IP address and port that the request came in on. The accompanying vhost directives of the first ServerName that matches the client's request will be applied.

Within a vhost block--between and tags in httpd.conf--many directives may be given, but only two are typically required: the ServerName and the DocumentRoot directives. The ServerName directive provides the domain name. The DocumentRoot directive sets the root directory for the domain. If Apache finds a vhost with a ServerName that matches a client request, it will look in the root directory specified by the DocumentRoot directive for files. If it finds what was requested, it will send copies to the client.


















http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/apache/2003/07/24/vhosts.html?page=2