20 Apache Interview Questions and Answers


apache interview questions

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In this article, we provide you with 20 Apache interview questions and answers that will help broaden your knowledge on Apache web server. Being the most popular web server in the market today, Apache is gaining more learners such as web developers. Hence, it has seen the outburst in the Apache interviews in various web-related job markets. This article provides you with 20 Apache interview questions as well as their best possible answers during an Apache interview.

Question 1: How Would You Describe the Apache Web Server in Brief?

The?Apache web server?is the most powerful, secure, and widely used web server software as well as an open source HTTP server. It is, therefore, applicable in hosting a variety of websites ranging from personal websites to company domains.

Question 2: How Do You Stop or Start the Apache Web Server?

You can perform this procedure by simply going to Apache instance location >> bin folder and then run the apachectl script. It can be either

./apachectl stop
or
./apachectl start

Another method is by using the script situated at /etc/init.d/, usually names ?apache? or sometimes ?httpd.’ The commands appear as follows for the start and stop commands respectively:
/etc/init.d/apache start
/etc/init.d/apache stop

One more way of doing that is by the use of services – some Apache interview questions might also inquire on this. The commands will appear as??Httpd? stop and ?service httpd start.’

Question 3: What is Virtual Hosting?

This is a way of hosting more than one domain names on one server using a single IP address. This way, the single server can share its resources which may include memory, processor cycles among others to ensure its efficient use.

Question 4: What are the Various Types of Virtual Hosts in Apache?

There are two types of virtual hosts in Apache, namely name-based and IP-based. In the name based host, multiple names are prompted to run on each IP address. IP-based, on the contrary, has different IP addresses existing for each website that is hosted. The name-based is usually preferred for most configurations because of its need for only one IP address.

Question 5: What Type of IP is Needed for Apache Web Servers to Host a Website?

The Apache web server can be used to host a website with a DSL connection as well as a static IP.

Question 6: What is the Possible Reason for a ?Connection Reset by Peer? Error?

This error usually occurs when the end-user of the website ended a connection when the server response was still in the formation or transfer process.

Question 7: Does Apache Have any Limits when it Comes to URL Aliasing and Rewriting?

No, Apache web server has no fixed limit on the total aliases and redirects that may be prompted in the configuration files.

Question 8: Does the Installation of Apache HTTP Server Require SSL or PHP Support?

The answer is yes, since the installation of Apache requires the support of both the SSL and PHP support.

Question 9: What is DocumentRoot?

DocumentRoot is a location of files that can be accessed by clients within the server. Apache HTTP server in RedHat Enterprise Linux serves files from the /var/www/html/ directory by default based on its configurations.

Since you’re reading these Apache interview questions, you might also benefit from going through our collection of HTML5 interview questions!

Question 10: On Which Port Does Apache Work?

Apache server runs on two ports which are Http-port 80 and https-port 443.

Question 11: What’s the Major Difference between a Restart and a Graceful Restart of a Web Server such as Apache?

In a normal restart, the server that was running is stopped and then started once more. In the process, requests that had not been executed are lost. On the other hand, a graceful restart allows Apache children to continue serving the current requests until they can be substituted with children meant to run the new configuration upon restart.

Question 12: How Do You Check the Version of the Running Apache Web Server?

You can go about this in two different ways. In the first option follow these steps:

  1. Log into the Apache web server
  2. Locate the Apache instance and bin folder
  3. Execute the httpd with ?v command to obtain the details of your Apache version.

The second procedure is rather simple as it involves the use of the rpm command to check the running Apache version on your domain.

Question 13: How Can One Know if the Apache Web Server is Running?

You can use several ways as listed here:

Login to the web server and then grep for the ?httpd? process. The function involved is:

ps ?ef |grep httpd

You can also check your monitoring dashboard for any alerts. Another way is to confirm if your apache IP port can be reached in the current browser.

The other method to consider is the use of netsat ?anlp |grep 80 functions. It will notify you if the configured IP and port are listening on the server with netsat.

Question 14: How Do You Install the Apache Web Server?

There are three ways of installing the Apache web server. The first method is to download the source code and then to compile it. The YUM repository is the second avenue to follow when installing the server. If your server has an internet connection or an internal repository, use YUM to install it. Lastly, download the RPM command on to your server and use the rpm command to install the Apache server.

Question 15: How Can One Secure the Websites Hosted on Apache?

You can do this by implementing the SSL. You can also consider the integration with a Web Application Firewall or use a cloud-based security provider.

Question 16: What’s the Difference between Apache Web Server and Apache Tomcat?

While Apache Web is an HTTP server that serves static contents, the?Tomcat?is a servlet container which sets up JSP files. It is possible to integrate the two; however, you may be forced to choose one based on the requirements of the server clients.

Interested in more interview rundowns that will help you during your IT interview? These Apache interview questions and answers might make more sense after also checking out our collection of SQL interview questions and our data structures interview questions and answers!

Question 17: What’s the mod_perl Module?

It is an optional scripting method that allows better Perl script performance as well as simple combination with the web server itself. It enables developers to accelerate dynamic content, create custom modules, and customize all the phases of the request cycle, just to name a few.

Question 18: What is Meant by a Valid Server Name Directive?

The IP addresses are associated with their respective domain names with the help of the DNS system. Therefore the server Name is returned if the server generates a URL when using a given domain name. It is important to include it in your?DNS system?such that it becomes available for the clients visiting your website.

Question 19: What’s the Difference Between Location and Directory Sections?

The directory section involves the file system objects while location sections have to do with the elements in the web page address bar.

Question 20: What is the Main Configuration File of Apache server?

This is one of the most common Apache interview questions. Here’s the on-point answer:

/etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

Conclusion

The Apache Web Server is the most commonly used web server. Before going for any interview involving web servers, make sure to go through these Apache interview questions. This way you get an idea of what Apache entails. You can share your thoughts in this article with regards to the Apache interview questions and the way answers are provided. Feel free to suggest more issues and solutions for the same to help others learn more about the Apache web server.

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