Variables for Apache

Beacon-MR

4/24/24, 7:54 PM

I am in the process of setting up an Apache web server to host a few hundred sites. The sites will be nearly identical in configuration with the exception of some site specific information (Server name, Document Root, Directory, Log path).

I was hoping to define variables in each site's conf file and then include a file with the site settings.

For example, I would like to have a config file called site1.conf that defines the following variables in some way and then calls an include file for a standard configuration.

Define subdomain site1
Include /etc/httpd/sitedefaults.conf

Then within sitedefaults.conf, have something like the following that uses the variables defined in site1.conf

<VirtualHost 10.10.10.10:80>
  ServerName $subdomain.example.com
  DocumentRoot /var/www/$subdomain/

  ServerAdmin [email protected]

  ErrorLog /var/log/httpd/$subdomain/error.log
  CustomLog /var/log/httpd/$subdomain/access.log combined

  <Directory "/var/www/$subdomain/docs">
    Options FollowSymLinks Multiviews
    AllowOverride All
    Order allow,deny
    Allow from all
  </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Is something like this possible?

0 + 3

apache-2.4

Tero Kilkanen

4/25/24, 5:15 PM

It is better to use configuration management system like Ansible / SaltStack / Chef / Puppet to manage the configuration files.

Beacon-MR

5/2/24, 3:04 PM

I would like a solution which allows me to make a change in 1 place and it affects all sites. For instance, if I made a change to "Options" in the Directory section, I do not want to have to touch 500 conf files (or 500 instances of this Option).

Tero Kilkanen

5/2/24, 5:28 PM

Yes, that's exactly how the configuration management systems work. You write config file templates, and then run the management program to generate / change configuration files accordingly. As an additional benefit, you can re-create the whole system from scratch using the information in the configuration management system.

Elon Musk

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EN: Variables for Apache

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