Web Server Cheat Sheet

Here’s a cheat sheet for web server-related tasks and commands:

Basic Commands

• Start Web Server:
  • Apache: sudo service apache2 start
  • Nginx: sudo service nginx start
• Stop Web Server:
  • Apache: sudo service apache2 stop
  • Nginx: sudo service nginx stop
• Restart Web Server:
  • Apache: sudo service apache2 restart
  • Nginx: sudo service nginx restart

Configuration Files

• Apache:
  • Main Configuration File: /etc/apache2/apache2.conf
  • Virtual Hosts: /etc/apache2/sites-available/
• Nginx:
  • Main Configuration File: /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
  • Server Blocks (Virtual Hosts): /etc/nginx/sites-available/
  • Here is a dedicated NGINX Cheat Sheet.

Server Status

• Check Apache Status:
  • sudo service apache2 status
• Check Nginx Status:
  • sudo service nginx status

Log Files

• Apache Logs:
  • Error Log: /var/log/apache2/error.log
  • Access Log: /var/log/apache2/access.log
• Nginx Logs:
  • Error Log: /var/log/nginx/error.log
  • Access Log: /var/log/nginx/access.log

Server Configuration Test

• Test Apache Configuration:
  • sudo apache2ctl configtest
• Test Nginx Configuration:
  • sudo nginx -t

Virtual Hosts

• Apache:
  • Enable Virtual Host: sudo a2ensite your_site.conf
  • Disable Virtual Host: sudo a2dissite your_site.conf
• Nginx:
  • Create Symbolic Link: sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/your_site /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
  • Remove Symbolic Link: sudo rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/your_site

SSL/TLS Certificates

• Generate Self-Signed Certificate:
  • sudo openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 365 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout /etc/nginx/ssl/private.key -out /etc/nginx/ssl/public.crt
• Here is a dedicated SSL Cheat Sheet.

Server Modules:

• Enable Apache Modules:
  • sudo a2enmod your_module
• Disable Apache Modules:
  • sudo a2dismod your_module
• Enable Nginx Modules:
  • Included in the configuration file.

User and Permissions

• Change Web Server User:
  • Apache: Modify User and Group directives in apache2.conf.
  • Nginx: Modify user directive in nginx.conf.
• Adjust File Permissions:
  • sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html
  • Here is a dedicated File Permissions Cheat Sheet.

Server Security

• Firewall Rules (UFW):
  • sudo ufw allow 80 (HTTP)
  • sudo ufw allow 443 (HTTPS)
• Deny Access to a Directory (Nginx):
  • Add to server block: location /your_directory { deny all; }

This cheat sheet provides basic commands and configurations for Apache and Nginx web servers on a Linux system. Adjust paths and commands based on your specific server setup and distribution.