How to Install Apache on Google Cloud Server

You install the Apache HTTP Server on a Google Cloud server running Ubuntu Linux to host websites.

Apache is a widely used, open-source web server software that makes your website accessible over the internet.

This process is crucial for making your web applications and sites live. We’ll guide you through installing Apache version 2.4 on your Google Cloud instance.

By following these steps, you’ll have Apache up and running, ready to serve your content to the world.

How to connect to the Google Cloud server

Google Cloud’s Compute Engine lets you connect to your virtual machine (VM) instance, which is like a private computer in the cloud, using SSH (Secure Shell) directly from your browser through the Google Cloud Console.

SSH from the browser supports the following:

• Web browsers
  • The latest version of Google Chrome
  • Firefox
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 and later
  • Safari 8 and later. Note that Safari is not supported in private browser mode.
• Virtual machine configurations
  • All Linux VM images are natively available in Google Cloud.

No additional software or browser extensions are needed. Log in to Google Cloud Console and go to Menu ==> Compute Engine ==> VM instances.

In the list of virtual machine instances, click SSH in the row of the instance that you want to connect to.

Alternatively, you can open an SSH connection to an instance by clicking its name and SSH from the instance details page.

An SSH terminal window with the Ubuntu Linux instance created in the series’s second post will open.

You should now be able to run commands in Ubuntu Linux created on the Google Cloud server.

How to install Apache on Ubuntu Linux on Google Cloud Server

Setting up Apache on Ubuntu Linux is the same process, whether you’re using Google Cloud or your own computer.

Apache packages are available in Ubuntu’s default repositories. You can download and install the Apache HTTP server on Ubuntu Linux using the `apt-get` commands.

We’ve covered installing Apache on Ubuntu Linux in detail in another post. You can click the link below to learn more about setting up and managing Apache HTTP servers.

How to install Apache on Ubuntu Linux

With the Apache web server installed, your domain name should now be able to bring up a default Apache help page when anyone browses your domain name.

Go and type your domain name in your browser, and you should see an example page similar to the one below:

http://example.com

As you can see, your server hosted on Google Cloud is now resolving your domain name and server content with Apache HTTP web server.

We’ll continue to add other servers and software so you can run a functional website online.

Conclusion:

Getting the Apache HTTP server running on your Google Cloud Ubuntu server is a key step to building your online presence. Here are the key takeaways:

• Apache is a widely used open-source web server, ideal for hosting websites.
• Following the steps outlined, you can connect to your Google Cloud server via SSH.
• Apache can be installed easily using the apt-get commands from the Ubuntu default repositories.
• Once installed, your domain name will be an Apache default page, confirming the successful setup.
• This post builds on previous topics about creating domain names and setting up Google Cloud servers.

With Apache installed, you’re one step closer to a fully operational website. Stay tuned as we explore additional software and configurations to optimize your web environment.