Before anything else: let’s make sure our system is all spiffed up and ready to go. Open up your terminal (or “command prompt” if you’re on Windows) and type in this magical incantation:
# This line uses the sudo command to run the apt-get update command with root privileges.
# This command updates the list of available packages and their versions.
sudo apt-get update
# This line uses the sudo command to run the apt-get upgrade command with root privileges.
# The -y flag automatically answers yes to any prompts during the upgrade process.
# This command upgrades all installed packages to their latest versions.
sudo apt-get upgrade -y
This will update the package list and install any available updates. Trust us, it’s worth doing before we proceed.
Next up, let’s make sure our system has Apache installed. If you already have it, skip ahead to step 3. Otherwise, type in this command:
# This line uses the sudo command to run the following command as a superuser, allowing for system changes.
sudo apt-get update
# This line updates the package list, ensuring that the system has the most recent information about available packages.
sudo apt-get upgrade -y
# This line installs the Apache2 package, which is a popular web server software.
sudo apt-get install apache2 -y
# The -y flag automatically answers "yes" to any prompts during the installation process, allowing for a smoother installation.
This will download and install the Apache web server package. It’s like having your very own personal pizza delivery guy for HTTP requests!
Now that we have Apache installed, let’s make sure it’s running:
sudo systemctl start apache2
This will start the Apache service and bring our server to life. If you want this to happen automatically every time your machine boots up, type in:
# This line uses the sudo command to run the following command with root privileges.
# This is necessary to enable the Apache service.
sudo systemctl enable apache2
# This command enables the Apache service to start automatically every time the machine boots up.
# This ensures that the server will always be running and accessible.
# The "enable" option is used to enable a service, in this case, the Apache service.
# The "systemctl" command is used to manage system services.
# The "apache2" argument specifies the service to be enabled, in this case, the Apache service.
That’s it! Your HTTP server is now ready for action. To test it out, open up a web browser and navigate to “http://localhost” (without the quotes). You should see Apache’s default page, which looks something like this:
Congratulations! You now have a fully functional HTTP server running on your Ubuntu machine. If you want to customize the default page or add more functionality, check out Apache’s documentation for some sweet tips and tricks. And if you ever need help, don’t hesitate to reach out to our friendly neighborhood Linux gurus!