How to Install Apache on Google Cloud Server

This post shows steps for students and new users to install the Apache HTTP server on a Google Cloud server running Ubuntu Linux.

If you want to run a website online, you’ll need a web server. Apache is today’s most popular open-source server and an outstanding web server running sites online.

This is the third post in this series, which can be used as a beginner’s guide to learning how to create a website domain, set up a Google Cloud server with Ubuntu Linux, and install software and packages to build and run a website online.

In this series:

• How to create a website domain
• How to set up a Google Cloud server with Ubuntu Linux
• How to install Nginx on a Google Cloud server (alternative to Apache)

Now that you’ve learned how to create a website domain and set up a Google Cloud server, this post shows you how to install an Apache HTTP web server.

A web server allows content to be published and served to clients and your audience browsing your website.

In our first post, we mentioned that after you create a domain name, it can’t be used until forwarded or pointed to a server. The second post showed you how to point a domain to a server we created.

At this point, we’re ready to connect to our Google Cloud server and begin installing software and packages that will be used to run a website online.

How to connect to the Google Cloud server

Google Cloud server (Compute Engine) allows users to connect using SSH from the browser window to their virtual machine (VM) instance within 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. Simply login 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

Installing Apache on Ubuntu Linux is no different, whether on Google Cloud or a local VM instance.

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

A detailed post with help installing Apache on Ubuntu Linux is below. Click on it to learn more about installing and managing the Apache HTTP servers on Ubuntu Linux.

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:

Installing the Apache HTTP server on a Google Cloud server running Ubuntu Linux is a straightforward process that can significantly enhance 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.