How to manage the Apache web server service

The Apache web server is widely used on Linux distributions, providing a reliable platform for hosting websites and applications. Depending on the system, it may be called apache2, httpd, or other variants. Understanding these differences is essential for proper service management.

Most modern Linux systems use systemd to manage services, but older or customized environments may still rely on System V Init scripts. systemd provides standardized commands, such as systemctl, for starting, stopping, or reloading the Apache service.

Compatibility commands like service remain available on some Red Hat-based systems, offering a legacy interface for managing Apache. Identifying the active init system is crucial to avoid confusion when controlling Apache in different environments.

Method	Command
System V. Init scripts	/etc/init.d/httpd [start\|restart\|stop\|status]
Systemd	systemctl [start\|restart\|reload\|stop\|status] httpd
service command	service httpd [start\|restart\|stop\|status]
Apache binary	apachectl [start\|restart\|stop\|status]

Different platform might use different binary/script names such as apache, apache2, apachectl or apache2ctl instead of httpd in the above example.
Related: Apache binary name for different distribution

Steps to start, restart, reload and stop Apache service from command line:

Stop Apache service using Apache binary.

$ sudo apache2ctl stop
AH00558: apache2: Could not reliably determine the server's fully qualified domain name, using 127.0.1.1. Set the 'ServerName' directive globally to suppress this message

Start Apache service using System V. Init scripts.

$ sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 start
[ ok ] Starting apache2 (via systemctl): apache2.service.

Restart the Apache service using systemd.
```
$ sudo systemctl restart apache2
```
Reload Apache configuration without stopping the service using systemd.
```
$ sudo systemctl reload apache2
```

Check the Apache service status using systemd.

$ sudo systemctl status apache2
● apache2.service - The Apache HTTP Server
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/apache2.service; enabled; vendor preset:
   Active: active (running) since Mon 2020-01-06 05:26:10 UTC; 14s ago
     Docs: https://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.4/
  Process: 1846 ExecStart=/usr/sbin/apachectl start (code=exited, status=0/SUCCE
 Main PID: 1874 (apache2)
    Tasks: 55 (limit: 4591)
   Memory: 5.7M
   CGroup: /system.slice/apache2.service
           ├─1874 /usr/sbin/apache2 -k start
           ├─1875 /usr/sbin/apache2 -k start
           └─1876 /usr/sbin/apache2 -k start

Jan 06 05:26:10 host systemd[1]: Starting The Apache HTTP Server...
Jan 06 05:26:10 host apachectl[1846]: AH00558: apache2: Could not reliably deter
Jan 06 05:26:10 host systemd[1]: Started The Apache HTTP Server.

Disable Apache from starting on boot using systemd.

$ sudo systemctl disable apache2
Synchronizing state of apache2.service with SysV service script with /lib/systemd/systemd-sysv-install.
Executing: /lib/systemd/systemd-sysv-install disable apache2
Removed /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/apache2.service.

Enable Apache to start on boot using systemd.

$ sudo systemctl enable apache2
Synchronizing state of apache2.service with SysV service script with /lib/systemd/systemd-sysv-install.
Executing: /lib/systemd/systemd-sysv-install enable apache2
Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/apache2.service → /lib/systemd/system/apache2.service.

Author: Mohd Shakir Zakaria
Mohd Shakir Zakaria is a cloud architect with deep roots in software development and open-source advocacy. Certified in AWS, Red Hat, VMware, ITIL, and Linux, he specializes in designing and managing robust cloud and on-premises infrastructures.

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