Start an apache server in any directory from command line

Question

I want to be able to start an apache server from the command line, typing something like apache site-folder or apache . --port=2000

This sh

Answer 1

Hope you find your solution. I hate .htaccess. So I wrote this:

#!/bin/bash
cat >._apache2_dir_conf << EOF
Include /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/*.load
Include /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/*.conf
ErrorLog $1/._apache2_dir_error.log
HostnameLookups Off
NameVirtualHost *:$2
ServerName joyeruc
Listen $2
PidFile $1/._apache2_pid
<VirtualHost *:$2>
    ServerAdmin joyer@uc
    DocumentRoot $1
    <Directory />
        Options FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride None
    </Directory>
    <Directory $1/>
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
        AllowOverride None
    </Directory>
    ErrorLog $1/._apache2_dir_error.log
    LogLevel warn
</VirtualHost>

EOF

#apache2 -k $3 -X -f $1/._apache2_dir_conf
apache2 -X -f $1/._apache2_dir_conf

Answer 2

For the benefit of anyone stumbling across this with the same question, I wanted something that was as simple as the pache package mentioned, but not relying on having node.js installed.

My use-case was in looking for a replacement for the webrick server used in Jekyll. Webrick, like most lightweight run-anywhere http servers, doesn't support .htaccess files.

So I took gpilotino's answer and packaged it up a bit. I've been using it for a few weeks now and although I am sure it can be improved upon it's doing the job. It comes as a script and a minimal httpd.conf file, which makes it easy to extend to support, say, PHP.

You can find it at: https://github.com/julianbrowne/apache-anywhere

Essentially, once it's installed (an optionally config tweaked) you just run:

apache -d document_root_directory -p {port}

and:

apache stop {port}

when you are done.

Answer 3

What about apache debug mode (-X) ?

apache2 -X -d. -f.htaccess -C"PidFile `mktemp`"  -C"Listen 1025" 
-C"ErrorLog /dev/stdout" -C"DocumentRoot `pwd`"

to put it in the background once started you may use Ctrl^Z then type "bg"

Using the the FOREGROUND flag, wrapping it up in a shell script:

#!/bin/sh
if [ $# -ne 2 ]; then 
    echo "$0 <port> <dir>"
    exit 10 
fi
/usr/sbin/apache2 -DFOREGROUND -d. -f.htaccess -C"PidFile `mktemp`" \ 
-C"Listen $1" -C"ErrorLog /dev/stdout" -C"DocumentRoot $2" -e debug

call it "pache", chmod +x, then you can run

./pache 1026 /tmp/webroot

Answer 4

Why not use Gatling which allows you to do exactly what you want?

http://www.fefe.de/gatling/

Answer 5

http-server is a much better simple http server than pache, it's what I use currently! :)

Use [pache][1]

Install with npm - which comes with node here: http://nodejs.org/

sudo npm install pache -g

Run on current dir, port 3000:

pache

Or specify directory and port:

pache site-directory 2000

[1]: https://github.com/devinrhode2/pache

Answer 6

This works:

Your apache config could point to /var/www

Then use:

sudo mount -o bind /home/webcreatorperson/mywebsite /var/www

to unbind use:

sudo umount /var/www

If you want several ports you could preconfigure ports in apache to point to directories like /var/www/8000.