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Apache HTTP Server

Apache HTTP Server

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What is Apache HTTP Server?

Apache Web Server (Apache HTTP Server) is an open source HTTP web server for modern operating systems including UNIX and Windows.

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Apache HTTP Server is a versatile and widely-used web server that offers numerous benefits to its users. With its ability to efficiently …
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A great HTTP server

8 out of 10
July 20, 2022
Incentivized
I use Apache extensively in my hosting company. All my websites and the websites I host for clients are hosted with Apache. We use virtual …
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What is Apache HTTP Server?

Apache Web Server (Apache HTTP Server) is an open source HTTP web server for modern operating systems including UNIX and Windows.

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What is Apache HTTP Server?

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Reviews and Ratings

(98)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

Apache HTTP Server is a versatile and widely-used web server that offers numerous benefits to its users. With its ability to efficiently handle a large number of HTTP requests and configure access restrictions, it is the go-to choice for serving clients' websites requiring a LAMP stack. Additionally, users appreciate the real-time graph feature that allows them to monitor network and hardware resource utilization, enabling informed decisions to optimize system performance.

One of the key use cases of Apache HTTP Server is hosting web applications on public domains as well as local development and testing on developer machines. It seamlessly operates on both Linux and Windows operating systems, making it a flexible option for various environments. Setting up multiple virtual hosts is made convenient with Apache HTTP Server, which simplifies the installation and maintenance processes compared to alternative options like Nginx. Its reliability, ease of use, and long-standing presence in the industry have made it a popular choice for hosting company websites, client websites, development sites, and personal projects.

The support for PHP in Apache HTTP Server is particularly valued for hosting WordPress sites and providing essential functions for site administration such as FTP and URL rewriting. It is relied upon by users to run various web servers for different purposes including help desk ticketing, intranet sites, project management, network monitoring, and conference room scheduling. Moreover, Apache's ability to display websites, set up secure websites using SSL certificates, reroute directories, and control file visibility makes it an ideal option for ensuring security and managing file access.

In addition to its widespread use in Linux servers, Apache HTTP Server is also implemented on embedded platforms like Raspberry Pi where it serves as a central part of infrastructure across various projects including data science. Its solid performance, extensive language support for server-side scripting languages like PHP, Perl, and Ruby makes it highly regarded in the industry. Furthermore, organizations value Apache HTTP Server as a cost-effective solution for hosting websites on virtual servers due to its reliability and ability to handle high traffic volumes.

Apache HTTP Server is utilized by both Enterprise IT departments and other teams for hosting internal web applications, partner/customer facing web applications, and fine-tuned web servers. It ensures the smooth functioning of these critical web-based services and enables organizations to direct traffic into their websites while ensuring security and preventing unauthorized access. Overall, Apache HTTP Server proves to be a powerful and dependable web server solution that caters to a wide range of use cases in the industry.

Users have provided several recommendations for Apache Server based on their experiences. The most common recommendations include using the self-hosted version instead of the cloud version, considering the learning curve when configuring Apache Server, and exploring alternative solutions such as NGINX. These suggestions highlight the benefits of choosing Apache Server as a web server, such as its stability, security, and large community of users for support. However, it is important to be aware of the potential challenges in configuration for those without experience in Linux and web services. Additionally, users suggest considering NGINX as an alternative solution for specific needs.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-20 of 20)
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Rudolph Pereira | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Apache HTTP Server to Host our Web Applications on Public Domains. We also use it for local development and testing on Developer Machines. It is used on both Linux and Windows Operation Systems. It is useful in Setting up several Virtual Hosts.
  • Used to Host Web Applications
  • Used as a Proxy Server
  • Used to Host several Virtual Hosts.
  • it should support multiple versions of PHP out of the box.
  • Its official documentation needs improvement. It is not user-friendly.
  • configuration of the XML conf file is complex
Apache HTTP Server is very stable and Secure. It is easy to install on both Linux and Windows. Its Proxy module works great! It needs improvement in the official documentation and in simplifying the XML configuration.
July 20, 2022

A great HTTP server

Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use Apache extensively in my hosting company. All my websites and the websites I host for clients are hosted with Apache. We use virtual servers to host multiple websites on one server and Apache serves us well, without incurring any cost. All in all it is a very good solution.
  • Very flexitble
  • Easy to setup
  • Lot's of support available
  • Sometimes too many options
  • Examples online can be wrong
Apache is really great at hosting websites using all kinds of server ware like PHP to serve the websites and make them dynamic. Apache is free to install and so it does not come with a hefty license fee which is great. It is very flexible and can almost do anything you need it to do.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use exclusively Apache HTTP Server on all our webservers across our department on our division. I have knowledge that other branches also use it. On our area, we come from Windows Servers and Apache give us a solid web server, with a lot of options that are useful for the kind of websites we have. On the past IIS was great, but at scale, and specially with PHP websites, was not great, so HTTPD help us to serve several websites with absolutely no problem.
  • PHP Integration.
  • Powerful configuration.
  • Redirects made easy.
  • Configuration files are located on different places depending on your Linux distro.
  • If you have an error on one configuration file, apache refuses to start and sometimes is difficult to know why.
  • Security is not great by default, but making a todo list help when you configure a new server.
We use dedicated AWS EC2 Instances for websites that don't server almost any static content, and each instance is behind an AWS Load balancer. On that scenario, Apache works great. We came from serving several websites on one server using Apache, and that was not great, neither to administrate or scale. Please try to avoid using Apache to serve several Websites at once. It works, but you don’t want to do it. If you want to serve several websites from one server, use a server control app, like CloudPanel or Vesta.
Josh Stapp | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I've used Apache for hosting multiple websites myself and for 6 years as my past job. I've also configured it to change default parameters and setup multiple virtual hosts.
  • Robust
  • Well documented
  • Easy configuration
  • I think it could use a web UI to configure it
  • It could allow PHP to override configuration without having to modify it
  • I've never seen statistics for it so I assume there is not much built in
Apache is robust and simple and was far easier than the few times I tried IIS. Enterprises sometimes prefer Nginx instead for supposed performance benefit which my company uses now but I still like to develop with Apache.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
The Apache HTTP Server is probably the most widely used web server on the entire Internet. We mainly use it for server-side scripting languages such as PHP, Perl or Ruby. However, these are not part of the server, but have to be installed separately. The Apache HTTP Server is a central part of our infrastructure. I myself was already involved with the HTTP server during my studies.
  • Easy to configure, although many options are available.
  • High performance
  • Industry standard, many colleagues have know-how
  • Performance of the competitor (NGINX) is a bit better
  • Incorrect configuration can lead to security risks
  • Modules that are not needed are difficult to identify
As I mentioned earlier, the Apache HTTP Server has a small disadvantage compared to the competition (NGINX) in terms of performance. If you run websites that really have a lot of visitors, NGINX might be the better alternative.

On the other hand, the Apache HTTP Server is open source and free. Further functionalities can be activated via modules. The documentation is really excellent.
April 30, 2021

Apache HTTP Webserver

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We have some published websites at some servers, some of them are based on [Apache] HTTP Server.
However, it is more like encyclopedic or Wikipedia style use, as it allows to share information about certain products that are used within our organization.
The Apache HTTP Server makes sharing information about services easier.
Moreover, we support a number of clients who have various web servers, I found that Apache HTTP Server is the most convenient in installation and maintenance , comparing with alternatives like NGINX, etc.
  • It does good with virtual hosts implementation
  • It has good easy to read intuitive documentation and tutorials
  • It is widely used so in the Internet there are many examples that could be adopted
  • Some specific modules might be difficult to install
  • Marketing could be more informative; some people prefer NGINX because they do not know how to do it with apache
  • It is more stable than contestants.
  • Log files are easier to read and troubleshoot
  • It is well suited both for beginners and advanced users.
  • It has a diverse customization support so it could be tuned in multiple ways.
Moris Mendez | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Apache HTTP Server to support our infrastructure in different sites, services, and web systems, which are in a DMZ or exposed to the Internet, for which we use modules of load balancers, virtual hosts, SSL among others. Currently, Apache HTTP is being used in my department for over ten years with great success.
  • Virtual host management offers extensive configuration options
  • The ease of working with own and third-party modules
  • Implementation as a load balancer is particularly good and helpful
  • A descriptive graphical interface
  • Native tool for statistics of use, access, error among others
  • How hard it is to find something that Apache HTTP Server can improve is really great
Publish a web page quickly and easily or configure access to various web systems or services that can be accessed from a private network or from the Internet, as well as balance the load between services and servers. Even though Apache HTTP Server is diverse in its applications and implementations, it should not be confused with specialized tools such as intrusion prevention or detection network.
Ryan Prather | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Apache HTTP Server is our web server of choice for all of our projects. We use it to host our company website, client websites, development sites, and lots of personal projects. Its been our go-to thanks to its familiarity, maturity, reliability, and ease of use.
  • Ease of use
  • Well documented
  • Mature
  • Optimization
  • Not as flexible as new alternatives.
Apache HTTP Server is great for smaller projects or for those who just want to pop a file in and watch it change. Apache is very old school in this regard which has its benefits over more application-driven servers but makes it not as flexible. Apache also doesn't scale very well as you need more complex stuff and have more users.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Apache Web Server is used for hosting some of our internal web applications and database instances including a few partner/customer facing web applications and websites that need fine tuned web servers and performance.
  • Apache Web Server provides detailed configuration options that makes it great for web applications where performance and a high level of security are a consideration.
  • It works well even with reasonable compute / hardware for infrastructure.
  • Although it has detailed configuration and administration capabilities, there is a steep learning curve to be able to configure Apache Web Server. It is not for beginners.
  • The management console / dashboard can certainly be made better with default parameters in place.
Apache Web Server is well suited when the system admin installing and deploying the web server has at least 4+ years experience in Linux and/or using Apache Web Server. It is well suited where you need fine tuned web server performance with minimal overhead or where the workloads and web application are handling sensitive data.
Jason Smith, DPA | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I have been using the Apache webserver for over 20 years. At my current organization, we use it all over the place. From serving static pages to full-blown web applications. We also use it as a proxy to pass traffic to tomcat applications. It is used across the whole organization and it is our goto web server. It is incredibly configurable and robust. Never a problem. We use it to serve https and use PHP extensively.
  • Apache is Open Source, governed well (the foundation) and probably the most stable computing platform ever.
  • Apache is probably one of the most customizable and configurable pieces of software that I have ever run across in more than 30 years of development.
  • If there is something that Apache can not do, then you need to ask yourself; should I be doing that? The point here is that it is a solid solution and seems to only integrate other technologies that are of the highest caliber.
  • Apache will live forever and you can not go wrong with it.
  • The one thing that I worry about Apache is the PHP language which is integrated into the platform. I am not sure if PHP has a relevant future. I worry about this because Python is becoming very popular.
  • Some, not so sharp developers, might complain about the configuration file. Yes, it is complex. You need to learn it.
  • Apache SSL documentation can be better.
  • I would like to see video streaming, that would be fantastic.
The Apache web server is most of the LAMP. The environment is a fantastic development platform that can be used to achieve almost anything. I would say that custom development is where Apache excels. PHP is fantastic and has a rather low learning curve. From a system administration perspective, Apache is a stable work-course. For example, I have several instances that have been up and running for more than 500 days. The only time that we need to reboot is to do an update. You can not go wrong with Apache.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We have implemented Apache Web Server in many projects: Everything from configuring Apache ourselves, to the bread and butter of most of our projects: data science. While we have also implemented other open source web Servers (lighttpd, et al), Apache is a package we come back to time and again. Our favorite toolchain is to implement a small, custom Linux distribution running nothing but Apache WS.

We have virtualized/containerized Apache, ran Apache on bare-metal, and even found some uses on embedded platforms such as Raspberry PI, Commodity (i.e. cheap) x86 hardware, pfSense (which includes its own Apache version, which we update and upgrade out of the box), firewalls, routers, gateways, and other devices. Additionally, with IoT related projects, we even load a small version of Apache to run PhP scripts, or upload environmental data from remote locations.
  • Street Cred: Apache Web Server is the Founder for all of Apache Foundation's other projects. Without the Web Server, Apache Foundation would look very different. That being said, they have done a good job of maintaining the code base, and keeping a lot of what makes Apache so special
  • Stability: Apache is rock-solid. While no software is perfect, Apache can parse your web sources quickly and cleanly.
  • Flexibility: Need to startup your own Webpage? Done. Wordpress? Yup. REST Endpoint? Check. Honeypot? Absolutely.
  • Large Attack Surface: Since Apache WS has been around so long, it's easy for villains to attack a public instance and find a vulnerability that may have existed for a lengthy period of time. With the rise of Platforms such as MetaSploit and Linux distro's like ParrotOS and Kali, finding those types of bugs / holes becomes much easier and cheaper.
  • Configuration Scheme: While it's easy to configure Apache, it's a bit strange if you have never been exposed to it: Most software packages (indeed, even competing Web Servers) enable / disable webpages by a simple config file, Apache has a multistep process to setting up Websites. And while this might be great for larger websites, it's a lot of work for a simple webpage (say, something that simply vomits a report or informational page). I feel like this could be simplified greatly.
  • Configuration Fatigue: Iterating off of the last point: The configuration files themselves are extensive, and lengthy. They resemble XML, but are not quite: They are actually sort of their own Markup, so that makes configuration a little more costly, in units of time.
Well Suited: Perfect for hosting your own website. And, I don't mean just an individual with a port of MySpace. I mean an industrial strength, commercial grade replacement for Microsoft IIS.

If you need a web server that provides a feature-rich environment with support for multiple sites (hosted in the same server), with such features as virtual hosting, and modular feature design, than Apache Web Server is right on the money.

Less Well-Suited:
Single page, small feature-set websites. Apache is a lot of trouble for developers to set up, just to send/receive JSON strings of a few bytes. You're really better off using something smaller and faster/simpler (lighttpd for example).
Justin Roodman | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Our company is currently operating three websites that are running on Apache Web Server. Apache handles page/file requests and serves those to visitors. Apache supports PHP, which is what WordPress is built on. All of our websites are WordPress sites. Apache supports common functions necessary to site administration including FTP and URL rewriting.
  • Apache allows for single site configuration using .htaccess files. This allows you to make changes on a micro level.
  • Apache offers WHM which allows experienced server admins a powerful tool for configuring their web server.
  • Apache is well maintained. It receives frequent feature upgrades, security patches, and vulnerability improvements.
  • Apache spawns new processes for each request.
  • Apache allows you to modify its configuration (which is a plus). This, however, can cause a serious threat to the security, if not done properly.
  • Apache consumes more RAM under heavier load.
Apache offers users a vast list of both official and unofficial modules to enhance the server’s feature set and perform various tasks. Apache works very well for serving dynamic sites where the content changes regularly. Its performance tends to lack in comparison to competitors—such as Nginx—for sites that are very high traffic or contain lots of static content.
Rahul Dhangar | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Apache the server to serve all of the clients' websites which require LAMP stack and have been able to deliver medium to complex applications using Apache server. It is used by whole Web Development department and it allows a large number of HTTP requests, configuring access restrictions to certain files efficiently and see a real-time graph of network and hardware resource utilization hence giving us the ability to make informed decisions to optimize throughput and overall performance of the system.
  • Apache server is a free and open source multi-platform software which gives ample amount of possibilities and options to use it without worrying about the hardware configurations much; it runs on almost everything!
  • It is easy to configure quickly for a new project requires to set up a barebone server to serve any type of HTTP request.
  • It allows us to configure https with encryption and configure virtual hosts easily.
  • Log files are detailed enough to determine vulnerabilities by providing multiple params which makes it easy to diagnose and debug the root cause of any server issue.
  • The default configurations which comes with Apache server needs to get optimized for performance and security with every new installation as these defaults are not recommended to push on the production environment directly.
  • Security options and advanced configurations are not easy to set up and require an additional level of expertise.
  • Admin frontend GUI could be improved to a great extent to match with other enterprise tools available to serve similar requirements.
It is the best choice for serving PHP applications due to its wide-spread popularity and huge community support. Very easy to start a new project of any complexity and easy to set up on localhost machines. But provided the fact that Apache is not the fastest and cleanest option available for hosting static content, you can never go wrong with your decision if you are using PHP or Perl language for serving dynamic content to serious business users.
Tyler Longren | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use it to host sites on all of our Linux servers. Sometimes it's used in conjunction with Nginx, using Nginx as a reverse proxy.
  • Easy to configure and is the go-to web server for many people.
  • Great documentation and community support.
  • Modules for added functionality.
  • Quicker development of new features.
  • A slim version of Apache would be neat for use in small deployments.
Hosting PHP apps like WordPress, Drupal, or Magento. Virtual host configuration is easy and can support a large number of different domains.
October 26, 2017

Apache the Best!!!

Hari Kumar | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Just copying our application folder in webapps and restarting the server will provide the application in browser and mostly it's secured.
  • Easily change from default port to custom port
  • Easily to transition http to https after doing some minimal set of configurations
  • Can easily navigate with your own domain name using Apache by doing some configuration
  • I would prefer it to be more user friendly
  • Looking for clear user guide documentation to understand all functionality
  • If EAR files are added, they should be accepted. In fact, accepting only WAR files.
We have been using Apache Web server in our department, and it's well worth using. Just copying our application folder in webapps and restarting the server will provide your application in the browser and mostly it's secured. We usually recommend Apache Web Server to our clients to use. Apache Web Server is the best.
Chuq Yang | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I've used Apache Web Server for years and years. We have not found a more solid web server with as much support and customizability to serve pages for our website. Apache is widely used by millions of sites on the internet, and for good reason. The PHP, Perl, and other language support is extensive and very helpful.
  • The documentation for Apache is very extensive and useful.
  • There are a lot of users and systems folks that are familiar with Apache Web Server.
  • There are so many available modules to help you customize Apache for your uses.
  • There are times that Apache doesn't scale as well as we want.
Apache can be used as a web server, application server or even a proxy. It is quite flexible.
October 14, 2016

Apache is Best

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use Apache (as part of the LAMP stack) to run several web servers that I use in my organization. The web servers provide services such as help desk ticketing and tracking, intranet site, project management, network monitoring, and conference room scheduling. This allows me to provide these applications for no cost through the use of open-source software.
  • Stability - the apache web server is extremely stable, with many months or even years in-between crashes or reboots
  • Documentation - Apache is the #1 web server in the world, so there is a huge amount of documentation for support
  • Compatibility - Apache is compatible with every technology I have come across
  • Powerful - Apache can do a lot with a little, with hardware requirements that are very easy to achieve for low cost
  • Apache configuration can be difficult for advanced setups
  • Apache is configured slightly differently for the various flavors of Linux.
Apache is appropriate for every scenario that I can think of, including use on Windows server.
Chris Coppenbarger | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Apache web server allows for the display of websites to the consumer. It has become the standard for website configuration. It is fairly simple to set up and configure your website for display to the outside world, including secure websites having to use an SSL certificate. It allows for the rerouting of directories and even setting up private directories inaccessible to the outside world. You can specify what files can be seen as well.
  • Private files can be hidden or set up only for specific users.
  • You can block certain file types from being uploaded to your website.
  • You can block certain IP addresses from accessing your website.
  • Apache web server does not allow for multi-threading, meaning that too many users can crash the system causing downtime for your website.
  • Apache web server is not very fast in that you have to do some tweaking to allow for your website to be faster.
If you are only serving up simple websites such as those on WordPress or plain html, then it might be well suited for that. Higher traffic websites or heavy load websites might be better suited for Nginx server as it spreads out the traffic among several threads.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Apache web server is supports major organizations and multiple web sites as their front end receiving host. This web server acts as the host to direct traffic into the web sites used by organizations and comes equipped with security and other protocols necessary to cut off unauthorized users.This also has a major role in authorizing user traffic and preventing unintended users/traffic from accessing the organizations' web site data.
  • Apache web server is free and doesn't come tagged with license/purchase costs.
  • Apache is the oldest web server and is widely used. The major advantage here is that all kinds of issues have been reported/resolved which gives an ease of understanding/ability for the user for install/support purposes.
  • It is the most widely used web server in the market and has been known to support new technology. This web server is continuously updated by a team of developers- keeping it up to standards.
  • Apache has a strong user community that helps with answering questions in any area - installation/support/maintenance/upgrade of this software.
  • Apache web server is a highly recommended server and its disadvantages outweigh its advantages any time.
  • Apache web server uses thread based processing which has some ove head when compared to newer web servers.
Apache web server is used on various popular web sites such as Wikipedia and Apple. It has been known to support high user traffic with ease. Less maintenance is needed as well. This web server has a strong community to answer questions on installation/support but also to help in contributing in building higher versions of its particular web server.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Apache Web Server on almost all of our *nix web servers. It is being used by Enterprise IT as well as most other departments. It is a solid web server, that allows for all the customizations and configurations that are needed. It allows us to easily and reliably set up web servers with a known configuration and reliability.
  • Great handling of virtual hosts.
  • Works extremely well with Perl/CGI and the Mod-Perl module for fast and reliable execution of server side scripts.
  • Handles serving up web pages well, a true no muss, no fuss situation.
  • Sometimes a little hard to patch.
  • If you're not careful with the settings, you can easily provide too much information about your server to people you don't want to.
  • If you're not familiar with text configuration files, it can get a little hairy, as there is no GUI interface for setting it up.
If you're running on *nix, Apache Web Server is the ONLY web server to use. If you're running on Windows, I'd stay away from it and stick with Windows' built in IIS. One of Apache's biggest features is its cost. It is completely free, and there is a great support community around it online due to the number of people using it.
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