Apache

What is Apache?

Apache HTTP Server is one of the most widely used web servers, known for .htaccess-driven per-directory config and broad module support. Laradock runs it as an alternative to Nginx, proxying PHP requests to php-fpm.

Start Apache

Laradock CLI

./laradock start apache2

Docker Compose

docker compose up -d apache2

Apache's compose.yml declares depends_on: php-fpm, so Compose starts it automatically. Add whatever else your app needs, for example:

Laradock CLI

./laradock start apache2 mysql workspace

Docker Compose

docker compose up -d apache2 mysql workspace

Stop Apache

Laradock CLI

./laradock stop apache2

Docker Compose

docker compose stop apache2

Configuration

All settings live in apache2/defaults.env and can be overridden by adding the same line to your own .env:

Variable	Default	What it does
APACHE_HOST_HTTP_PORT	80	Host-side port mapped to container port 80.
APACHE_HOST_HTTPS_PORT	443	Host-side port mapped to container port 443.
APACHE_HOST_LOG_PATH	./logs/apache2	Host folder mounted to /var/log/apache2.
APACHE_SITES_PATH	./apache2/sites	Host folder mounted to /etc/apache2/sites-available.
APACHE_PHP_UPSTREAM_CONTAINER	php-fpm	Container name Apache proxies PHP requests to (build arg).
APACHE_PHP_UPSTREAM_PORT	9000	Port on the upstream PHP container (build arg).
APACHE_PHP_UPSTREAM_TIMEOUT	60	Proxy timeout (seconds) to the upstream PHP container (build arg).
APACHE_DOCUMENT_ROOT	/var/www/	Document root baked into the image at build time (build arg).
APACHE_SSL_PATH	./apache2/ssl/	Host folder mounted to /etc/apache2/ssl, for your certificates.
APACHE_INSTALL_HTTP2	false	Set true to enable the HTTP/2 module at build time.
APACHE_FOR_MAC_M1	false	Set true when building on Apple Silicon (build arg).

Add a site config

Files in apache2/sites/ become available VirtualHosts. There's default.apache.conf (serves APACHE_DOCUMENT_ROOT on laradock.test), default.apache.ssl.example (SSL version), and sample.conf.example for a project with its own document root:

cp apache2/sites/sample.conf.example apache2/sites/myapp.conf

Edit ServerName and DocumentRoot, then restart:

Laradock CLI

./laradock restart apache2

Docker Compose

docker compose restart apache2

<VirtualHost *:80>
  ServerName sample.test
  DocumentRoot /var/www/sample/public/
  Options Indexes FollowSymLinks

  <Directory "/var/www/sample/public/">
    AllowOverride All
    Require all granted
  </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Test a config change before restarting

A typo in a VirtualHost file can take the whole server down on restart. Check syntax first, inside the running container:

Laradock CLI

./laradock enter apache2
apache2ctl configtest

Docker Compose

docker compose exec apache2 bash
apache2ctl configtest

Syntax OK means it's safe to restart. Anything else names the file and line to fix.

Enable SSL

Copy apache2/sites/default.apache.ssl.example alongside your site config, point it at your certificate files under the folder set by APACHE_SSL_PATH (./apache2/ssl/ by default), and restart the container.

Enable HTTP/2

APACHE_INSTALL_HTTP2=true

Laradock CLI

./laradock rebuild apache2

Docker Compose

docker compose build apache2

Laradock CLI

./laradock start apache2

Docker Compose

docker compose up -d apache2

Change the exposed port

APACHE_HOST_HTTP_PORT=8080
APACHE_HOST_HTTPS_PORT=8443

Laradock CLI

./laradock start apache2

Docker Compose

docker compose up -d apache2

View logs

Apache writes error.log and access.log per VirtualHost (see ErrorLog/CustomLog in the shipped site configs) to /var/log/apache2 inside the container, which is bind-mounted to APACHE_HOST_LOG_PATH (./logs/apache2 by default) on your host. Read them straight from your host with any tool (tail -f, an editor, etc.), no container access needed:

tail -f logs/apache2/error.log

For the container's own stdout/stderr (startup messages, not per-request traffic):

Laradock CLI

./laradock logs apache2

Docker Compose

docker compose logs --tail=100 apache2

Common issues

• 502/503 from Apache. Confirm php-fpm is running and that APACHE_PHP_UPSTREAM_CONTAINER/APACHE_PHP_UPSTREAM_PORT match its real name and port; also check APACHE_PHP_UPSTREAM_TIMEOUT if long-running requests are being cut off.
• New site file has no effect. VirtualHosts in apache2/sites/ are read on container start, run ./laradock restart apache2 after adding or editing a file.
• .htaccess rules ignored. Confirm the VirtualHost has AllowOverride All in its <Directory> block, as shown in the shipped examples.
• Building on Apple Silicon fails or behaves oddly. Set APACHE_FOR_MAC_M1=true and rebuild.
• Port already in use on your host. Another web server (or another Laradock project) is already bound to 80/443. Change APACHE_HOST_HTTP_PORT/APACHE_HOST_HTTPS_PORT and restart.
• Restart succeeded but the site still 500s. Check logs/apache2/error.log on your host (or ./laradock logs apache2 for startup-time errors) for the actual PHP or Apache error before guessing further.

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Need a different web server? See Nginx, Caddy, or OpenResty. New to Laradock? Start with Getting Started.