How to Set Virtual Host In Xampp?

To set up a virtual host in XAMPP, you need to navigate to the "httpd-vhosts.conf" file located in the "conf" folder of your XAMPP installation directory. Open this file with a text editor and add a new virtual host configuration by specifying the DocumentRoot (the directory where your files are stored), ServerName (the domain name of your virtual host), and any additional directives or configurations you may need.

Next, you need to edit the "hosts" file located in the "System32\drivers\etc" directory of your operating system. Add an entry for your virtual host by specifying the IP address of your localhost (often 127.0.0.1) and the ServerName you specified in the httpd-vhosts.conf file.

After making these changes, save the files and restart the Apache server in XAMPP. Your virtual host should now be set up and accessible by typing the ServerName you specified in your web browser. Make sure to test your virtual host to ensure it is working correctly.

What is the server name directive used for in virtual hosts configuration?

The server name directive is used to specify the domain name that the virtual host should respond to. This directive allows you to host multiple websites on a single server by matching the incoming request's domain name to the specified server name in the virtual host configuration.

How to set up virtual hosts in XAMPP for a Windows environment?

To set up virtual hosts in XAMPP for a Windows environment, follow these steps:

1. Open the XAMPP control panel and click on the "Config" button next to Apache. Select "httpd-vhosts.conf" to open the Virtual Hosts configuration file.
2. In the httpd-vhosts.conf file, uncomment the following line by removing the "#" symbol: Include conf/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf
3. Add the following code to the httpd-vhosts.conf file to create a new virtual host. Replace "example.test" with your desired domain name and the path with the location of your project files:

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<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerAdmin webmaster@example.test
    DocumentRoot "C:/xampp/htdocs/example"
    ServerName example.test
    ErrorLog "logs/example.test-error_log"
    CustomLog "logs/example.test-access_log" common
</VirtualHost>

1. Save the changes to the httpd-vhosts.conf file and close it.
2. Next, open the Windows hosts file located at "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts" in a text editor with administrator privileges.
3. Add the following line to the hosts file to map the domain name to the localhost IP address: 127.0.0.1 example.test
4. Save the changes to the hosts file and close it.
5. Restart the Apache server in the XAMPP control panel.
6. Open your web browser and enter the domain name (e.g., http://example.test) to access your virtual host.

Your virtual host should now be set up and accessible on your Windows environment using XAMPP.

How to disable a virtual host in XAMPP without deleting it?

To disable a virtual host in XAMPP without deleting it, you can comment out the corresponding line in the 'httpd-vhosts.conf' file. Here's how to do it:

1. Open the 'httpd-vhosts.conf' file located in the 'conf/extra' directory within your XAMPP installation directory.
2. Find the virtual host configuration you want to disable. It should look something like this:

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<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName example.com
    DocumentRoot "C:/xampp/htdocs/example"
    <Directory "C:/xampp/htdocs/example">
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

1. To disable the virtual host, simply add a '#' at the beginning of each line within the block. It should look like this after commenting out the lines:

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#<VirtualHost *:80>
#    ServerName example.com
#    DocumentRoot "C:/xampp/htdocs/example"
#    <Directory "C:/xampp/htdocs/example">
#        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
#        AllowOverride All
#        Require all granted
#    </Directory>
#</VirtualHost>

1. Save the changes to the 'httpd-vhosts.conf' file and restart the Apache server in XAMPP for the changes to take effect.

By commenting out the virtual host configuration in the 'httpd-vhosts.conf' file, you effectively disable the virtual host without deleting it. This way, you can easily enable it later by removing the '#' at the beginning of each line in the configuration.