Score:0

Ubuntu

Apache2: Webpage is only accessible via localhost but not via custom domain or IP address

nickwfj123

10/30/22, 2:43 AM

I'm just starting to learn Apache server.

I installed apache2(version 2.4.41) based on Ubuntu, WSL2 Windows10 and followed this tutorial to set up a webpage.

I created a webpage for testing. The path is:

/var/www/info.dev/html/index.html

The issue is, after I followed the tutorial step by step, my webpage only works via localhost:

This is my /etc/hosts file:

My info.dev.conf file:

It won't work if I use a custom domain like info.dev or www.info.dev:

If I use a local IP address, I get this error:

I've been stuck in this issue for several days and tried every solution I could google, but it seems like none of them works for me. I'll really appreciate it if someone could save my day.

807

1 + 0

server

networking

dns

apache2

Score:0

Ubuntu

matigo

10/30/22, 4:55 AM

Based on the myriad of images you've shared, I would venture that you've edited the "wrong" hosts file. Rather than change the one in Ubuntu, you need to edit the one in Windows found at C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts. In there, you can add your records.

Replace:

# localhost name resolution is handled within DNS itself.
#   127.0.0.1       localhost
#   ::1             localhost

With:

127.0.0.1        localhost
127.0.0.1        info.dev

::1              localhost
::1              info.dev

You do not need to have a record for subdomains such as www.info.dev. Be sure to replace 127.0.0.1 with the IP address of your WSL2 Ubuntu instance. You can find this by typing: wsl hostname -I from PowerShell or Command Prompt.

In your Apache configuration file, you can update the ServerAlias to include a wildcard to ensure that all traffic for the domain is routed correctly:

ServerAlias info.dev *.info.dev

Having info.dev in both ServerName and ServerAlias is fine. You can exclude it from the alias if you prefer.

0 + 7

paladin

10/30/22, 5:10 AM

PS when using a _hosts_ file for name resolution, the _hosts_ file should be shared onto all computers within your LAN. Make sure some stupid Windows "antivirus/firewall"-software doesn't block your Windows _hosts_ file.

nickwfj123

10/30/22, 5:07 PM

Thanks, matigo. After I modify the hosts file, local IP address works for my own page. But when I tried to use localhost, the web page is redirected to IIS windows page and when I tried custom domain info.dev, error prompts "Your connection is not private".

matigo

10/30/22, 9:20 PM

@nickwfj123 — Is your WSL2 environment accessible to Windows with `127.0.0.1` or is it using a different IP address?

nickwfj123

10/30/22, 10:08 PM

@matigo - I'm not sure if we are saying the same IP address. I got it by the command: hostname -I, which is different from 127.0.0.1. A new problem I just found is when I remove these modifies above in hosts file, custom domain works, but only at the first time I open a new tab. Then if I refresh the page, something goes wrong again. error prompts "This site can’t be reached. Check if there is a typo in www.info.dev."

matigo

10/30/22, 10:44 PM

`localhost` will — ideally — only ever point to `127.0.0.1`, so typing this into a browser on a system that is not the server will not work. You will need to use the custom domain(s) that you set up. The error you see with `www` is also likely due to the hosts file on your Windows machine. You will need a line with the WSL instance’s IP for each subdomain.

nickwfj123

11/1/22, 2:29 AM

Thanks. A line with local IP and subdomain pair works now. Does this mean I have to manually modify the hosts file each time I wanna generate new domains? I'm wondering if there is a way I can do via Ubuntu or something else to make the hosts file automatically set up.

matigo

11/1/22, 3:50 AM

I would strongly discourage having automated systems in WSL (or anywhere else) automatically update the `hosts` file on your Windows machine. There is a reason why one must be Admin to edit that file, and it’s not good to leave yourself open to DNS hijacking …

Elon Musk

I sit in a Tesla and translated this thread with Ai:

EN: Apache2: Webpage is only accessible via localhost but not via custom domain or IP address

TH: Apache2: เว็บเพจสามารถเข้าถึงได้ผ่าน localhost เท่านั้น แต่ไม่สามารถผ่านโดเมนหรือที่อยู่ IP ที่กำหนดเองได้

RO: Apache2: Pagina web este accesibilă numai prin localhost, dar nu prin domeniul personalizat sau adresa IP

RU: Apache2: веб-страница доступна только через локальный хост, но не через собственный домен или IP-адрес.

VI: Apache2: Trang web chỉ có thể truy cập qua localhost chứ không thể truy cập qua tên miền hoặc địa chỉ IP tùy chỉnh

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