Chapter 14. Apache Web Server

Apache is based on the public domain HTTP daemon developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois. By early 1995, this public-domain software was the most popular server on the Web—but it was badly in need of fixes and updates. A group of volunteer Webmasters released the first version of Apache in April 1995.

The first official release of Apache (version 0.6.2) was based on NCSA httpd 1.3, with numerous bug fixes and enhancements. The name Apache refers to the many patches that were applied to the NCSA server: hence, "a patchy server," or Apache.

Apache is developed and maintained by the Apache Project, a collaborative software development effort aimed at creating a robust, commercial-grade, full-featured Web server with freely available source code. The project is jointly managed by a group of volunteers located around the world, using the Internet and the Web to communicate, plan, and develop the server and its related documentation. These volunteers are collectively known as the Apache Group. In addition, hundreds of users have contributed ideas, code, and documentation to the project. The Apache Project can be found on the Web at http://www.apache.org.

Today, Apache is the most widely used enterprise-class Web server. It powers myriad Web operations, ranging from "home" Web servers to vast Web "farm" operations. In particular, Apache practically dominates the independent Internet service provider (ISP) market.

No doubt, Apache's price is right. However, even if it were priced comparably to its peers—Netscape's Enterprise Server and Microsoft's Internet Information Server (IIS)—there is little doubt that it would have an important place in the world of Web serving.

Red Hat Linux 6 ships with Apache version 1.3.6. (You can check to see if there is a more recent version and, if so, download it from the Apache Web site.)

Unlike its commercial competitors, Apache does not ship with a visual configuration interface. Until now, configuring Apache has meant editing configuration files. With Red Hat Linux 6, however, most Apache configuration tasks can be accomplished visually using the Linux Configuration applet. Serving Apache Web sites is now truly a straightforward process.