Switching Apache Web Server Config?

Louis Epstein

unread,

Dec 14, 2023, 7:26:20 PM12/14/23

to

What is involved in taking my apache web server from http to https?
Is it a matter of adding or of replacing programs or of editing
config files?

-=-=-
The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again,
at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.

Grant Taylor

unread,

Dec 14, 2023, 8:35:08 PM12/14/23

to

On 12/14/23 18:26, Louis Epstein wrote:
> What is involved in taking my apache web server from http to https?
> Is it a matter of adding or of replacing programs or of editing
> config files?

It should simple be a matter of configuration file changes.

I don't know how simple those changes are on your system. (I don't do
much with FreeBSD.)

--
Grant. . . .

Vlad Markov

unread,

Dec 14, 2023, 8:45:03 PM12/14/23

to

You will need SSL certificates. You might try getting them form here: https://letsencrypt.org/

The rest is configuration. It was well enough documented. I stopped hosting a web server a while ago but I remember documentation being under /usr/local/share/apache or /usr/local/share/doc/apache.

It is easy.

Mike Scott

unread,

Dec 15, 2023, 3:13:41 AM12/15/23

to

Not quite so simple, as you need some security certificates. You can pay
for these if you want, or check out (for example) letsencrypt for free
self-signed cert's.

I did get mine running, but it was a bit like finding my way round a
strange town in a good old-fashioned pea-souper.

--
Mike Scott
Harlow, England

John D Groenveld

unread,

Dec 15, 2023, 10:43:05 AM12/15/23

to

In article <ulh1ri$1quj8$1...@dont-email.me>,

Mike Scott <usen...@scottsonline.org.uk.invalid> wrote:
>Not quite so simple, as you need some security certificates. You can pay
>for these if you want, or check out (for example) letsencrypt for free
>self-signed cert's.

There appears to be a plethora of FreeBSD ports of ACME clients
including Certbot:
<URL:https://www.f:reshports.org/search.php?stype=package&method=match&query=acme&num=500&category=&orderby=category&orderbyupdown=asc&search=Search&format=html&branch=head>
<URL:https://www.freshports.org/search.php?stype=package&method=match&query=certbot&num=500&category=&orderby=category&orderbyupdown=asc&search=Search&format=html&branch=head>

And plenty of success stories:
<URL:https://duckduckgo.com/?ka=v&kt=v&kh=1&kj=r2&q=acme+site%3AFreeBSD.org&submit=Search&ia=web>
<URL:https://duckduckgo.com/?ka=v&kt=v&kh=1&kj=r2&q=certbot+site%3AFreeBSD.org&submit=Search&ia=web>

John
groe...@acm.org

Mike Scott

unread,

Dec 15, 2023, 2:27:45 PM12/15/23

to

Yes, thanks for pointing that out. I'm using certbot, and it seems to
run happily without attention once set up.

I had to sort this a couple of years ago - running a web site at home
for a small choir, I found some members' phones were so security minded,
https was mandatory. Chrome on my android tablet is equally annoying, as
it won't access what it thinks are unreasonable web ports; which I use
for marginal extra security. Some kit is too smart to be useful.

Louis Epstein

unread,

Dec 16, 2023, 11:27:25 PM12/16/23

to

Mike Scott <usen...@scottsonline.org.uk.invalid> wrote:
> On 15/12/2023 15:43, John D Groenveld wrote:
>> In article <ulh1ri$1quj8$1...@dont-email.me>,
>> Mike Scott <usen...@scottsonline.org.uk.invalid> wrote:
>>> Not quite so simple, as you need some security certificates. You can pay
>>> for these if you want, or check out (for example) letsencrypt for free
>>> self-signed cert's.
>>
>> There appears to be a plethora of FreeBSD ports of ACME clients
>> including Certbot:
>> <URL:https://www.f:reshports.org/search.php?stype=package&method=match&query=acme&num=500&category=&orderby=category&orderbyupdown=asc&search=Search&format=html&branch=head>
>> <URL:https://www.freshports.org/search.php?stype=package&method=match&query=certbot&num=500&category=&orderby=category&orderbyupdown=asc&search=Search&format=html&branch=head>
>>
>> And plenty of success stories:
>> <URL:https://duckduckgo.com/?ka=v&kt=v&kh=1&kj=r2&q=acme+site%3AFreeBSD.org&submit=Search&ia=web>
>> <URL:https://duckduckgo.com/?ka=v&kt=v&kh=1&kj=r2&q=certbot+site%3AFreeBSD.org&submit=Search&ia=web>
>>
>> John
>> groe...@acm.org
>
> Yes, thanks for pointing that out. I'm using certbot, and it seems to
> run happily without attention once set up.

I also received some private email pointing me toward certbot.
Have not tried anything yet.

> I had to sort this a couple of years ago - running a web site at home
> for a small choir, I found some members' phones were so security minded,
> https was mandatory. Chrome on my android tablet is equally annoying, as
> it won't access what it thinks are unreasonable web ports; which I use
> for marginal extra security. Some kit is too smart to be useful.
>