How To Install Apache And Configure On Windows 10

(Last Updated On: December 22, 2018)

Are you a web developer? Want to learn web development? If you have some interest in such topics/questions related to web developing, then you’ve came to the correct path. Because here, we are going to learn some basic and crucial concept of web development.

If you are in the field of web development, then this article is going to be very valuable for you. As we will discuss what is a web server, how we can set & configure Apache web server on our computer and all other queries of web server and development.

Not taking much time, Let’s Start…

What Is A Web Server?

Starting with the basic term of web development, ‘Web server’. Basically, it is a software which works with the receiving requests from the browser and returning the data back to it. For example, if you type any website in the web browser, the request for accessing the page will be forwarded to the web server and after it, the browser will show you the requested data.

This data can be either a file (.html) or a document. The process works with upload/download concept between the web server and the web browser. And, to test it we need a web server.

Which web server? Yes, we are going to discuss about Apache web server.

What Is Apache Web Server?

Apache is the mostly used and fully-featured web server. It is an open source software which is totally free and can be easily access by anyone. It is too easy, speedy and secure web server. For webmasters, Apache is the first choice for testing and development purpose.

What Is The Use Of Apache Web Server & What Are The Benefits Of It?

As we discussed earlier that Apache is an open source web server software, who doesn’t charge for the installation & configuration. So, first we should know that what is use of apache web server and will furthur discuss about the benefits of using Apache.

The main use of Apache web server is ‘Testing’. It is mainly used for troubleshooting and testing of files and softwares. It is operate as a Tester, you can first test your files on your local web based server (Apache) and after confirmation you can transfer those files to the Internet.

And, the another use of Apache web server is that, you can learn scripting language directly from your home. In this case, you wouldn’t need any expensive web server to study web programming languages. So, this one also comes under the benefits of using Apache. Following are the other benefits:

  • Free of cost
  • Fast & Secure
  • For developing websites before making them ‘Live’
  • For examining projects on server side script languages like PHP, Perl, Ruby,. etc..

How To Download Apache Web Server Package File On Windows OS?

Now here comes the main topic of the article that how to install apache web server on windows. There are two types of installation :

1) Automatic From Softwares like – XAMPP, Wampserver.
2) Manual Installation.

In this process, we will use the second option to install apache, manually. So, for installation and setup, just follow the below steps carefully & to make more easier, we have provided screenshots on each steps.

Hence, Let’s Go…

1) First of all, You need to download Apache package.

2) Click Here to visit the download page.

3) Now you need to click httpd-2.4.23-win64-VC14.zip or httpd-2.4.37-win32-VC15.zip to download it.

Note: Choose the package, according to your windows compatibility

4) Once the download finished, unzip the file. (or Extract the file)

5) Now, you will get a folder named “Apache24

6) Copy it, and Paste it into the C: drive of your local system. (Local Disk C)

7) Make sure the file location should be like C:/Apache24 which means that Apache24 folder is in C: drive.

8) Now to run Apache, it requires the latest C++ Microsoft Visual Studio 2015.

9) Click here to visit the download page & download it, according to your windows compatibility.

[In my case, i am using vc_redist.x86.exe]

10) After downloading, Double click and Run it. (Click “Yes” if User Account Control displays a pop-up)

11) Now, Install it normally & Finish the installation process.

12) Great! Now it comes to the installation and configuration of Apache Web Server (See Below Steps)

How To Install/Run & Configure Apache Web Server On Windows?

1) Go to C:/ drive (Local Disk C) & Open Apache24 folder.

2) Find folder named “conf” and open it.

3) Here, you will get a configuration file “httpd.conf“, Open it in Notepad

4) After it, Find “ServerRoot” (Use Ctrl + F) and you will came across it.

5) Replace the line with:

ServerRoot “c:/Apache24”

(as shown in below screenshot)

[Because, we moved the Apache24 folder in the C: drive & it specifies the root directory of Apache web server]

6) Now again Find “DocumentRoot” (Use Ctrl + F)

[It is the folder in which your files would be stored, but to manage the files of other different websites we will use different folder C:/Websites for storing files. So, that we can easily control them]

7) Now to do it, Replace the lines to:

DocumentRoot “c:/Websites”
<Directory “c:/Websites”>

8) Now we need to change the server name and here we will use localhost as server name.

9) And to do it, Find “ServerName” (Use Ctrl + F)

10) Now, Replace the line with:

ServerName localhost:80

(For confirmation, see below screenshot)

11) Now, here comes the final change to replace the Apache web server to port 80.

12) And, to do it we need to Find “Listen 80

13) Replace the line with:

Listen *:80

14) Save the httpd.conf file and close Notepad.

15) Now as we discussed the “C:/Websites” folder to store our files. We need to create the folder in C:/ drive.

16) Go to C:/ drive (Local Disk C) & Create a folder named Websites.

[In this folder, you are going to store your files]

17) Now its time to install Apache web server. And, here we will use “Command Prompt

18) Go to Start & Search “Command Prompt“.

19) Right click & select “Run as administrator” option. If any popup appears, Simply click “Yes

Note: It is important to run it in administrator mode, else it won’t work

20) Now enter the following command in CMD & hit Enter.

cd c:/apache24/bin

21) Now you are in bin folder of Apache24

22) Finally, enter the below command to install Apache

httpd.exe -k install

23) Wow! Apache web server will be installed on your computer. [You will get a security alert, Simply click Allow Access to install it]

24) Now to Start Apache, Go to C:/ drive > Apache24 folder > bin > Open ApacheMonitor.exe

25) And, also open httpd.exe (Optional)

[This will help you to monitor your Apache server. If you need to start, follow the above steps & to stop, close the ApacheMonitor program]

26) For confirmation, Go to C:/ drive > Apache24 > htdocs & copy the “index.html‘ file to “c:/Websites

[Now you’ve moved a file to your root directory of Apache web server]

27) Finally, Open any web browser, type localhost in URL bar and hit Enter

28) Done, It works!!

Hurray, you’ve successfully installed and configured Apache web server on your windows pc. Now its time to install php on your windows, so that you can run your .php files directly on your local computer.

Conclusion:

Dear users, it was the complete detailed article of installation and configuration of Apache web server on your windows computer. We hope you enjoyed to follow our instructions to set up local web server.

If you’ve got stucked in any query related to Apache, simply mention it in the comment section. Finally, share this article with everyone and Enjoy!!

One Comment

  1. richard Reply

    I’m using Windows 10. I followed the specifications above. When I open a browser and put localhost in the it brings me to it brings me to Internet Information Services. I subsequently went to remove Internet information services, and Internet Information Services hostable web core and restarted the computer. Nothing changes. Any thoughts?

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