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If your domain displays Apache’s “It works” or Ubuntu default page instead of WordPress, Apache is reachable but is serving the wrong virtual host or the wrong DocumentRoot. The usual causes are a DNS record aimed at another server, a hostname that does not match ServerName/ServerAlias, a WordPress site configuration that is not enabled, or a virtual host still pointing at Apache’s default web directory.
Fix the routing before changing WordPress: verify the domain resolves to the intended server, point the active virtual host at the directory containing wp-admin, wp-includes, wp-content, and index.php, enable that configuration, reload Apache after a syntax check, and test with an explicit Host header.
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What the Apache default page is telling you
The default page is generated by Apache, not by WordPress. That confirms a network connection reached an Apache service, but it does not prove that Apache selected your WordPress site. Apache chooses a virtual host using the request’s IP address, port, and hostname. In name-based hosting, the hostname must match a ServerName or ServerAlias in a <VirtualHost> block. The selected block then maps the URL path under its DocumentRoot.
If no hostname matches, Apache serves the primary (default) virtual host for that address and port. The first name-based virtual host can therefore answer requests that do not carry the expected Host header. A correct WordPress installation in another directory remains invisible until its virtual host is selected.
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This is why the page usually does not mean that WordPress was deleted. It means the request arrived at Apache’s fallback site, or at a site whose root is still the distribution’s default directory.
Quick diagnosis: match the symptom to the next check
| What you see | Most likely explanation | Check next |
|---|---|---|
| Domain and raw server IP both show the default page | The default virtual host is answering, or the WordPress site is not enabled. | List enabled sites and virtual hosts; inspect DocumentRoot values. |
Domain shows the default page, but an explicit Host header returns WordPress |
DNS, the browser URL, or an IPv4/IPv6 record is reaching a different endpoint. | Compare the domain’s A and AAAA records with the server being tested. |
| Raw IP shows the default page while the domain shows WordPress | Normal name-based hosting behavior: the IP request has no matching hostname. | Use the domain for normal testing; do not treat the raw-IP result as a WordPress failure. |
| WordPress files exist, but the page is blank or returns a file-not-found error | The selected root is close but not the directory containing the WordPress front controller, or another application error is involved. | Confirm the exact directory containing index.php and review the vhost error log. |
| Default page disappears, then WordPress permalinks return 404 | Virtual-host routing is fixed; Apache rewrite handling is now the separate problem. | Check AllowOverride All, the rewrite module, and WordPress rewrite rules. |
1. Verify the hostname and DNS target
Start with the URL you actually use. A browser request to www.example.com is different from a request to example.com, and both are different from a request to a numeric IP address. Make a note of the exact hostname, including whether it uses www.
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Inspect the domain’s A record (IPv4) and AAAA record (IPv6). Each should lead to the server where the intended Apache configuration is installed. An old AAAA record can send IPv6-capable clients to another machine even when the A record is correct. Likewise, a recently changed DNS record may still be cached according to its TTL.
Compare DNS results with the server’s actual public addresses. Test the hostname, not only the IP, because Apache uses the HTTP Host header to choose a name-based virtual host. Visiting the IP commonly lands on the default site by design.
Test local development names
For a site that is not publicly delegated, add the test hostname and server address to the client’s hosts file. This gives the client a local name-to-address mapping without changing public DNS. Use the same hostname in the hosts entry, browser URL, Apache ServerName, and any ServerAlias you intend to support.
After changing a hosts file, clear the operating system or browser DNS cache if the old address continues to appear. Test from the same machine that contains the override; another device will still use normal DNS.
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2. Locate the actual WordPress directory
Find the directory that contains all of the core markers: wp-admin, wp-includes, wp-content, and index.php. That exact directory is the normal WordPress DocumentRoot. Do not point Apache at the parent directory merely because it has a convenient name.
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For example, if the files are in /var/www/example.com, use that path. If they are in /var/www/example.com/wordpress, decide whether visitors should use a /wordpress URL or whether the site should appear at the domain root. Those are different layouts and require different WordPress URL and rewrite arrangements.
Check the path for spelling, capitalization, and symbolic-link targets. Apache resolves URL paths beneath the selected root; it will not search neighboring directories for a second WordPress installation.
3. Create or correct the Apache virtual host
On a Debian- or Ubuntu-style Apache installation, create a site configuration such as /etc/apache2/sites-available/example.com.conf. Replace both the hostnames and filesystem path with your values:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName example.com
ServerAlias www.example.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/example.com
<Directory /var/www/example.com>
AllowOverride All
Require all granted
</Directory>
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example-error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example-access.log combined
</VirtualHost>What each directive does
ServerNameis the primary hostname Apache should recognize.ServerAliasadds alternate names, such as thewwwform.DocumentRootmust be the directory containing the WordPress files.- The
Directoryblock grants access to that filesystem path and permits WordPress’s per-directory.htaccessrules. ErrorLogandCustomLogmake it possible to distinguish requests handled by this site from requests handled by the default site.
Keep the hostname and WordPress root consistent across every vhost that serves the site. A configuration for HTTP on port 80 and a separate configuration for HTTPS on port 443 can otherwise send visitors to different directories.
Configure HTTPS separately
For HTTPS, create or update the corresponding <VirtualHost *:443> block with the same ServerName, required aliases, and WordPress DocumentRoot, plus the certificate directives supplied by your certificate setup. A certificate can be valid while the HTTPS request still selects Apache’s default site, so verify virtual-host matching on port 443 as well as port 80.
4. Enable the site and reload Apache safely
On Debian and Ubuntu, enable the configuration, optionally disable the distribution’s default site if it is catching requests, validate the complete configuration, and then reload Apache:
sudo a2ensite example.com.conf
sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf
sudo apache2ctl configtest
sudo systemctl reload apache2A successful syntax check normally reports Syntax OK. If it reports an error, do not reload until you correct the file and run the check again. A reload applies configuration without unnecessarily stopping the service.
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Command names and service units differ on RHEL-family systems, source builds, containers, XAMPP, cPanel, and managed hosts. Use the equivalent site-enabling, configuration-test, and reload commands for that platform. The sequence remains the same: select the file, validate syntax, then reload.
Do not disable a site blindly
Disabling 000-default.conf is useful when it is the unwanted fallback, but first confirm that your intended site has a complete vhost for every protocol you use. If the WordPress site is not enabled, disabling the default site can replace a visible page with a connection or configuration error.
5. Prove which virtual host Apache is selecting
Use a request that supplies the intended hostname while connecting locally to Apache. From the server, or from a client that resolves the hostname to that server, run:
curl -I -H 'Host: example.com' http://127.0.0.1/Then compare it with a request to the numeric address:
curl -I http://127.0.0.1/If the first command returns WordPress headers or a WordPress redirect while the second returns the default page, Apache’s name-based routing is working. The remaining issue is usually DNS, an incorrect browser URL, or a missing alias. If both commands return the default page, inspect the enabled configuration and its DocumentRoot.
When testing HTTPS locally, preserve the hostname while connecting to the local address with a tool option appropriate to your certificate setup. The essential part of the test is that Apache receives the hostname intended for the TLS vhost; an HTTPS request that omits it can select a different site.
Inspect Apache’s vhost map
On Debian and Ubuntu, this command prints the addresses, ports, hostnames, and default ordering Apache loaded:
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sudo apache2ctl -SLook for your hostname under the expected port and confirm that the file path shown is the configuration you edited. If the hostname is absent, Apache did not load the site file or the name is spelled differently. If it appears under an unexpected address or port, correct the vhost declaration or the listener configuration before touching WordPress.
6. Use logs before changing WordPress
Review the access and error logs for the vhost you created, along with Apache’s main error log. The example configuration writes to:
${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example-access.log
${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example-error.logA request recorded only in the default site’s access log confirms that the request never reached the WordPress vhost. That points back to DNS, the requested hostname, the vhost’s address/port, or site enablement. An entry in the WordPress vhost log means routing is working and the next error is likely at the filesystem, PHP, WordPress, or rewrite layer.
Read the error output immediately after one controlled request. This is more reliable than repeatedly editing WordPress settings and guessing which change mattered. Keep the request URL, response status, and log line together while troubleshooting.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.7. Handle WordPress installed in a subdirectory
A subdirectory installation needs one deliberate URL design. Suppose the core files are in /var/www/example.com/wordpress.
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Use /var/www/example.com/wordpress as the relevant root for the site or map the URL so visitors intentionally use https://example.com/wordpress/. WordPress’s site URL and home URL must agree with that choice. Links, redirects, and login paths will otherwise point to a different location.
Option B: keep files in a subdirectory but serve the domain root
WordPress documents a second arrangement in which visitors use https://example.com/ while the core files remain under /wordpress. This requires moving or exposing the core entry files appropriately and placing a root .htaccess or front-controller rule that sends requests to the subdirectory’s index.php. Follow that layout consistently; do not mix the subdirectory URL with root-level rewrite rules.
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The .htaccess file is hidden on many FTP clients. Enable the client’s “show hidden files” setting before concluding that the file is missing. Apache must also be allowed to read per-directory overrides, which is why the example vhost uses AllowOverride All.
8. Fix the second-stage permalink problem
Once the Apache default page is gone, a request such as /about/ may still return a 404 even though the home page works. That is no longer a virtual-host-selection problem. Check three items:
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<Directory>block permits overrides withAllowOverride All(or the narrower setting required by your policy). - Ensure Apache’s rewrite module is enabled on platforms that package it separately.
- In the WordPress administration area, open the permalink settings and save them once to regenerate the rewrite rules.
Test the home page and one known permalink after each change. Keep the vhost-routing test separate from permalink testing so a rewrite failure does not obscure a hostname failure.
9. Common traps that make the default page persist
Testing by IP only
An IP request does not identify the intended name-based site. Use the domain or an explicit Host header for routing tests.
Correcting only the A record
Clients that prefer IPv6 may continue using an incorrect AAAA record. Check both record types and remove or correct stale entries.
Editing a file Apache did not load
Sites in a “sites available” directory are not necessarily active. Confirm the configuration appears in apache2ctl -S or the platform’s enabled-site listing.
Using a hostname that is not declared
example.com and www.example.com are separate names. Declare every name you publish and request, or redirect one deliberately after both names reach the intended vhost.
Changing WordPress URLs too early
Do not alter the database or WordPress URL settings while Apache is still serving its default site. First prove that the correct vhost and filesystem root answer the request.
10. Decide between self-managed Apache and managed WordPress hosting
The routing procedure above applies when you control the web server. A managed WordPress service may hide vhost files, TLS configuration, logs, and DNS controls behind a provider dashboard. In that case, the provider must map the domain to the site, while you verify the domain’s records and the site assignment in the dashboard.
| Deployment path | Control | Debuggability | Operational burden | Migration concern |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-managed Apache | Direct control of vhosts, filesystem paths, modules, and reloads. | You can inspect vhost maps, request headers, and per-site logs. | You maintain DNS, TLS, updates, permissions, backups, and service health. | Moving the site requires preserving domains, redirects, database contents, and filesystem paths. |
| Managed WordPress hosting | Provider controls the web-server layer; you use its domain and site settings. | Provider tooling may expose fewer Apache files and logs. | DNS, TLS, backups, and much of the WordPress operation may be handled for you. | Confirm that domains, redirects, database data, and paths can be preserved before migrating. |
If a managed host shows an Apache default page, provide its support team with the exact hostname, the result of the DNS check, the time of a test request, and whether the raw IP behaves differently. Those details identify a domain-assignment problem faster than a generic “WordPress is down” report.
Quick Recap
11. Final verification checklist
- The browser URL uses the hostname declared in
ServerNameorServerAlias. - The domain’s A and AAAA records point to the intended server.
- The active vhost’s
DocumentRootcontainswp-admin,wp-includes,wp-content, andindex.php. - The matching
<Directory>block grants access and permits the rewrite rules your installation needs. - The site configuration is enabled, and the default site is not intercepting the request.
apache2ctl configtest(or the platform equivalent) succeeds before reload.apache2ctl -Sshows the expected hostname on the expected port.- An explicit
Host-header request reaches WordPress, while logs record it in the intended vhost. - HTTP and HTTPS vhosts use the same hostname and WordPress root.
- If files are in a subdirectory, the chosen root URL or subdirectory URL is implemented consistently, including the root
.htaccessarrangement when required.
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