Apache Cookbook, 2nd Edition

Chapter 4. Virtual Hosts

As a person can be known by many names, so can a Web server support multiple Web sites. In the Apache configuration file, each alternate identity, and probably the “main” one as well, is known as a virtual host (sometimes written as vhost) identified with a <VirtualHost> container directive. Depending on the name used to access the Web server, Apache responds appropriately, just as someone might answer differently depending on whether she is addressed as “Miss Jones” or “Hey, Debbie!” If you want to have a single system support multiple Web sites, you must configure Apache appropriately—and you’ll need to know a little bit about your system (such as the IP addresses assigned to it) in order to do it correctly.

There are two different types of virtual host supported by Apache. The first type, called address-based or IP-based, is tied to the numeric network address used to reach the system, rather like telephone numbers. Bruce Wayne never answered the parlour telephone with “Batman here!” nor did he answer the phone in the Batcave by saying, “Bruce Wayne speaking.” However, it’s the same person answering the phone, just as it’s the same Web server receiving the request. Even if the caller had a wrong number and said, “Hi, Steve!,” the phone was still answered the same way; nothing would convince Batman to admit on the Batphone that it was Bruce Wayne answering.

The other type of virtual host is called name-based because the server’s response depends on the name ...