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🌐 Web Server Configuration

Apache & Nginx — P2P Teaching Session · Prepared by Mebell Angela Marquez Barro

🍽️ What is a Web Server?

Software that receives HTTP/HTTPS requests from browsers and sends back web pages, files, or data.

Think of it like a restaurant:
You (browser) place an order → HTTP Request
Waiter (web server) fetches your files
Waiter brings back your food → Webpage

🔐 HTTP vs HTTPS

HTTP — Port 80, unencrypted ⚠️
HTTPS — Port 443, encrypted with SSL/TLS ✅

Always prefer HTTPS. Without it, data is sent in plain text — anyone on the network can read it.

1

User types URL

2

DNS → IP

3

HTTP Request

4

Server finds files

5

Sends response

6

Browser renders

Web Server	Best For	Used At Hostinger
🔴 Apache	Flexibility, .htaccess, PHP sites	cPanel VPS
🟢 Nginx	High traffic, reverse proxy, speed	CloudPanel VPS, HWS
⚡ LiteSpeed	Speed + Apache compatibility	Web & Cloud Hosting
🏠 HWS	Hostinger's Nginx fork	Agency / H5G Hosting

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🔴 Apache: The Flexible Classic

Process-based architecture — one thread per connection. Oldest and most widely used web server.

✅ Strengths

.htaccess support (no restart needed)
Huge module ecosystem
Very well documented
Great for PHP sites & shared hosting

⚠️ Weaknesses

Slower under very high concurrent traffic
More memory usage per connection

📁 Key Config Files

File	Purpose
`/etc/apache2/apache2.conf`	Main config
`/etc/apache2/sites-available/`	Virtual hosts
`.htaccess`	Per-directory overrides
`mods-available/ssl.conf`	SSL module

📝 Virtual Host Example

<VirtualHost *:80>
  ServerName domain.tld
  DocumentRoot /var/www/html
  ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
</VirtualHost>

📝 Force HTTPS (.htaccess)

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301,NE]

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🟢 Nginx: The Speed Demon

Event-driven architecture — handles thousands of connections with a single process. Faster under high load.

✅ Strengths

High concurrency with low memory
Excellent as reverse proxy
Faster at serving static files

⚠️ Weaknesses

No .htaccess support
Slightly steeper learning curve
Config changes require restart

📝 Basic Server Block

server {
  listen 80;
  server_name domain.tld;
  root /var/www/html;
  index index.php index.html;


  location / {
    try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
  }
}

📝 Reverse Proxy (Node.js on port 3000)

location / {
  proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
  proxy_set_header Host $host;
  proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For
    $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
}

💡 What is a Reverse Proxy?

Nginx sits in front of your app and forwards requests to it. The user never talks to your app directly — Nginx handles port 80/443 and passes traffic to your app (e.g. Node.js on port 3000).

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⚡ Apache vs Nginx: Side-by-Side

Choose the right tool for the job.

Feature	🔴 Apache	🟢 Nginx
Architecture	Process/thread per connection	Event-driven (async)
Performance (high traffic)	Moderate	Excellent ✅
.htaccess support	✅ Yes	❌ No
Reverse proxy	Possible (mod_proxy)	✅ Built-in
Config style	Directive-based	Block-based
Best for	PHP sites, shared hosting	High traffic, Node.js, microservices

🔴 Use Apache when…

You need .htaccess flexibility
You're on a cPanel-based VPS
Running PHP sites on shared-style hosting

🟢 Use Nginx when…

You need high performance & concurrency
You're running Node.js / Python apps
You need a reverse proxy setup

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🔒 SSL/HTTPS: Securing Your Site

SSL/TLS encrypts traffic between the browser and server. Without it, data is sent in plain text.

🆓 Free SSL with Certbot (Let's Encrypt)

# For Nginx:
sudo certbot --nginx -d domain.tld


# For Apache:
sudo certbot --apache

🔄 Auto-renew via cron (daily at noon)

0 12 * * * /usr/bin/certbot renew --quiet

🛡️ Enforce Modern TLS Only

# Apache (ssl.conf)
SSLProtocol all -SSLv3 -TLSv1 -TLSv1.1


# Nginx (server block)
ssl_protocols TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3;

⚠️ Why TLS 1.2+ only?

TLSv1 and TLSv1.1 are deprecated and have known vulnerabilities. Always enforce TLS 1.2 or 1.3 on production servers.

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🏠 Hostinger Context

Which web server does each Hostinger plan use?

Hostinger Plan	Web Server	Key Note
Web & Cloud Hosting	⚡ LiteSpeed	.htaccess works ✅
VPS	🔧 Your choice	Full control — Apache, Nginx, etc.
Agency / H5G	🏠 HWS (Nginx fork)	.htaccess has NO effect ❌
CloudPanel VPS	🟢 Nginx	Managed via CloudPanel UI
cPanel VPS	🔴 Apache	Managed via cPanel

💡 Common CS Scenarios

🔧

.htaccess not working on Agency plan? → It's HWS (Nginx-based). Enable .htaccess via hPanel toggle.

🚫

Can't edit httpd.conf on shared hosting? → Use .htaccess instead. Shared hosting doesn't give direct server config access.

🔴

502/503 error on VPS? → Check if the web server is running + check error logs.

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🔍 Troubleshooting Quick Reference

Always check logs first before making changes.

Error Code	Meaning	Common Fix
500 Internal Server Error	Misconfigured .htaccess or PHP error	Check .htaccess syntax, file permissions (644/755)
502 Bad Gateway	Upstream app not running	Check PHP-FPM or Node.js process
503 Service Unavailable	Server overloaded or stopped	Restart web server, check resources
504 Gateway Timeout	Upstream app too slow	Increase timeout, optimize app

📋 Check Logs

# Apache
tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log


# Nginx
tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log

🧪 Test Config Before Restart

# Nginx
nginx -t


# Apache
apache2ctl configtest


# Restart
sudo systemctl restart nginx
sudo systemctl restart apache2

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💬 Discussion Questions

Use these to check your student's understanding.

A customer's .htaccess redirect isn't working on an Agency plan. What do you check first?

What's the main architectural difference between Apache and Nginx?

A customer gets a 502 error after setting up a Node.js app behind Nginx. What are the likely causes?

Why can't customers on shared hosting edit httpd.conf directly?

When would you recommend Nginx over Apache for a VPS setup?

A customer's SSL certificate expired. Walk through how to renew it with Certbot.

What does server_tokens off do and why does it matter for security?