Creating Virtual Domains under Apache

When Apache is installed on a M.S. Windows XP / Vista computer the Apache installer places Apache’s file structure in:

C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache2

Apache´s index file, which is displayed when http://localhost is typed into a Browser window and the Go button or the Enter key is pressed, resides in:

C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache2\htdocs

If you do not want Apache's default index page to be displayed when http://localhost is typed in a Browser’s address bar and the Go button or the Enter key is pressed, simply create your own HTML file, name it index.html and place this in:

C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache2\htdocs

Now when you test apache web server enter http://localhost in a Browser’s address bar and press Go or the Enter key your HTML page content will be rendered in the Browser’s window.

This is an indication that Apache is working perfectly.

Having said that, it’s definitely not good practice to place all your website’s resources within the folder that Apache uses for its own resources i.e.:

C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache2\htdocs

It’s good programming practice to keep your website’s resources separate from Apache’s internal resources.

All that is required is that you create a separate folder, anywhere on your hard disk and place your website resources within that folder.

For example: d:\mysite

Now all that remains is that Apache needs to be informed that the folder d:\mysite is where you’ve loaded all your website’s resources.

You do this by creating a Apache Virtual Domain under Apache and binding this domain to the folder where your website’s resources are placed.

To create a Apache virtual domain you have to make changes within Apache’s httpd.conf file which is normally located at:

C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache2\conf\httpd.conf

Navigate to that folder and the first thing to do is to make a copy of Apache’s httd.conf file and save this within Apache’s conf folder i.e. httpd_copy.conf.