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To create a subdomain in Apache, do two separate jobs: create a DNS record that sends blog.example.com to your server, then add an Apache name-based virtual host whose ServerName and DocumentRoot point to the site’s directory. DNS gets the request to the right machine; Apache selects the website after the request arrives.

The procedure below covers a dedicated document root, a minimal virtual-host file, package-specific loading, configuration checks, testing, and the reasons a subdomain can display the wrong site.

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DNS and Apache do different jobs

A subdomain is a hostname such as blog.example.com. Before Apache can serve it, the hostname must resolve to the server that runs Apache. At your DNS provider, create an A record for blog.example.com pointing to the server’s public IP, or create the appropriate record for your environment. Wait until a DNS lookup returns that intended address.

Apache does not publish DNS records. The Apache documentation puts the boundary plainly: “Creating virtual host configurations on your Apache server does not magically cause DNS entries to be created for those host names.” A correctly written virtual host cannot compensate for a missing, mistyped, or incorrectly pointed DNS record.

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A hosts-file entry can map the name to an address for testing from one computer, but it changes only that computer’s name resolution. It does not publish the subdomain to the Internet or change what other users resolve.

What happens when someone visits the subdomain

  1. The browser looks up blog.example.com through DNS (or a local hosts-file override).
  2. The connection reaches an IP address and port where Apache is listening.
  3. The browser sends the hostname in the HTTP Host header.
  4. Apache compares that hostname with ServerName and ServerAlias values in the virtual hosts configured for that address and port.
  5. The matching block supplies the document root, logs, and other behavior for the request.

How Apache name-based virtual hosting selects a site

Name-based virtual hosting allows several hostnames to share one IP address. Apache groups virtual hosts by the address and port in each <VirtualHost> block, then compares the request hostname with the names declared inside that group. The required identity is normally a ServerName; ServerAlias adds intentional alternate names.

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A subdomain vhost needs, at minimum, a ServerName and a DocumentRoot. ServerAlias is not a substitute for the primary name: use it only for additional hostnames that should serve exactly the same content.

Order matters. If no ServerName or ServerAlias matches the request, Apache uses the first virtual host listed for that address and port. That first block is therefore the default for unmatched or missing hostnames. An apparently “wrong” website often means the request did reach Apache, but no name matched and the first vhost answered.

Apache describes name-based hosting as usually simpler because you map each hostname to the correct IP in DNS and then configure Apache to recognize the different hostnames.

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Prepare the server before editing Apache

  • Control of the DNS zone for the parent domain, or access to the person or service that manages it.
  • Administrative access to the operating system so you can create a directory, set ownership or permissions, and change Apache configuration.
  • An Apache installation that is running or can be started, with a listener on the address and port you intend to use.
  • A directory reserved for the subdomain’s files. Keeping it separate from the main site prevents accidental content sharing.
  • A test file such as index.html whose contents make the new site obvious while you are validating the setup.

Use the conventions of the Apache package installed on the machine. Debian-family packages commonly separate files into sites-available and sites-enabled; other distributions and manually installed Apache builds include virtual-host files from different directories. The configuration location and the command used to load a site are not universal.

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Create the subdomain step by step

1. Create the DNS record

  1. Open the DNS management panel for the parent domain.
  2. Create an A record named blog (which represents blog.example.com when the panel appends the zone) and point it to the Apache server’s public IPv4 address. If your environment uses another record type, use the record appropriate to that environment.
  3. Save the change and allow DNS caches to expire. Check the result with dig blog.example.com or an equivalent lookup tool.

Continue only when the lookup returns the address of the server that is meant to answer. If DNS points elsewhere, changing Apache on this machine will not affect the response users receive.

2. Create a document directory and a test page

Create a directory dedicated to the subdomain, for example /var/www/blog, using a path that fits your operating system and Apache package. Place an index.html file in it with a distinctive message such as “Blog subdomain test.” Ensure that Apache can traverse the parent directories and read the file; exact ownership and permission settings vary by operating system and installation.

Keep the test page deliberately simple. A unique title or sentence lets you distinguish this document root from the main site while you are checking name matching.

3. Add a name-based virtual host

Create a virtual-host file in the directory that your Apache installation includes. This minimal HTTP example defines the hostname, document root, and separate logs:

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<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName blog.example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/blog
    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/blog-error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/blog-access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

<VirtualHost *:80> means that this block participates in requests received on port 80 for the addresses represented by *. The address and port must correspond to an Apache listener and to the scheme you test. ServerName is the canonical hostname for this site. DocumentRoot is the directory from which Apache serves files. The log directives are useful while diagnosing a mismatch and keep this subdomain’s entries separate from another site’s logs.

To make another hostname serve the same files, add an explicit alias:

    ServerAlias www.blog.example.com

Do not add aliases merely because they are convenient. Every alias intentionally expands the set of names that can reach this document root, and each name still needs DNS resolution (or a local hosts-file mapping while testing).

4. Load the file using your Apache package’s normal mechanism

Save the file where the installed configuration includes it. On a Debian-family installation, that commonly means placing it under sites-available and enabling it through the package’s sites-enabled mechanism. A different distribution may include files from a conf.d directory, a main configuration file, or a custom path. Follow the layout already present on this server rather than copying an enable command from an unrelated operating system.

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Check that the file is actually included. A perfectly valid vhost has no effect if Apache never reads it.

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5. Inspect Apache’s parsed virtual-host map

Run the configuration-dump command for your platform:

  • Unix-like systems: apachectl -S
  • Windows: httpd.exe -S

Apache says this output shows how it parsed the virtual-host configuration. Find blog.example.com, confirm the file and line that define it, and verify the address and port. Also look for an earlier vhost on the same address and port that could become the default when a name does not match.

6. Test the configuration and reload Apache

Use the configuration-test command supplied by your operating system’s Apache package, then use that package’s service reload operation. The exact command names and service-management tools differ between distributions and between Windows and Unix-like installations, so do not apply a Debian-specific command to another package without checking its conventions.

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Correct any syntax error before reloading. A reload that fails leaves the previous running configuration in place, which can make it appear that your new vhost was ignored.

7. Request the hostname and verify the result

Open http://blog.example.com/ and check for the distinctive test page. Confirm that the request appears in blog-access.log and that errors, if any, appear in blog-error.log. Once the expected page is selected, replace the test file with the application or content intended for the subdomain.

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Choose shared-IP, aliases, and defaults deliberately

Shared IP versus a separate IP

Design How Apache matches When it fits What to verify
Name-based hosting on one IP Several vhosts share an address and port; Apache compares the request hostname with each ServerName and ServerAlias. Usually the simplest arrangement for multiple subdomains. Each DNS name resolves to the shared address, and every vhost uses the listener’s address and port.
Separate IP or port Each vhost has a distinct IP-and-port combination, so the connection is separated before hostname matching. Environments that require network-level separation or cannot use shared name matching. The server owns or listens on every configured address and port; DNS points each name to the intended address.

ServerAlias policy

Use ServerAlias for names that should intentionally deliver identical content and use the same vhost settings. Apache supports wildcard aliases, but a wildcard in the Apache file does not create DNS records. The requested names must still resolve to this server. A narrow, explicit alias list is easier to audit than a broad wildcard when only a few names are valid.

Default-site behavior

Place an intentional default vhost first for each address and port, and set ServerName on every vhost. If a client sends an unknown or missing Host header, Apache cannot select a name-specific block and uses the primary (first-listed) vhost for that address and port. Decide what that default should display rather than allowing an unrelated site to answer accidentally.

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HTTP, HTTPS, and matching listeners

The example above is for HTTP on port 80. A request made with another scheme or port must match a vhost configured for that listener. When debugging, compare the URL you request with the <VirtualHost> address and port shown by apachectl -S or httpd.exe -S. A correct port-80 block will not, by itself, select a site for a request arriving on a different listener.

Troubleshoot a subdomain that shows the wrong website

Symptom Likely cause Checks and correction
The DNS lookup returns another address, or no address. The record is missing, mistyped, cached, or points to a different server. Run dig blog.example.com or an equivalent lookup. Correct the DNS record and wait for caches to update before judging Apache’s response.
The lookup is correct, but the main site appears. The hostname does not match, the vhost file was not loaded, or the request fell through to the first vhost. Run apachectl -S (or httpd.exe -S on Windows). Confirm the exact ServerName, the loaded file, the address and port, and the order of vhosts.
A different subdomain’s content appears. Two names may share an alias, or the requested name may be unmatched and using the default. Check every ServerAlias for the address and port. Remove aliases that should not share content, add the intended name, and make the default vhost intentional.
The new configuration has no effect after editing. Apache is including a different directory, or it was not successfully reloaded. Use the parsed-vhost dump to see whether the file is present. Run the package’s configuration test, correct errors, and perform the package-specific reload.
The expected vhost is listed, but the page is empty or returns a file error. The document root path is wrong, the index file is absent, or Apache cannot read or traverse the directory. Verify that the configured DocumentRoot exists, contains the expected file, and has permissions that allow Apache to read it. Review the subdomain’s error log.
The browser reaches a server but Apache reports an unexpected host. The browser’s hostname differs from ServerName and all aliases, or the request has an unknown or missing Host header. Compare the address in the browser exactly with the configured names, including spelling. Expect the first vhost for that address and port when no name matches.
HTTP works but a request using another scheme or port selects another site. The vhost is configured only for a different listener. Compare the requested scheme and port with the <VirtualHost> block and the listeners reported by Apache. Configure the appropriate listener according to your installation.

A verification checklist before replacing the test page

  • dig blog.example.com (or an equivalent lookup) returns the intended server address.
  • The hostname in the browser exactly matches ServerName or one of its deliberate ServerAlias values.
  • apachectl -S or httpd.exe -S lists the expected hostname, file, address, and port.
  • The document-root directory exists, contains the expected index file, and is readable by Apache.
  • The configuration test succeeds and Apache has been reloaded through the installed package’s normal service mechanism.
  • The request is recorded in the subdomain’s access log, proving which vhost handled it.
  • The first-listed vhost for the address and port is an intentional default for unmatched names.

What a successful setup looks like

DNS resolves the subdomain to the Apache server. Apache’s parsed map shows a loaded vhost with the exact ServerName, the intended address and port, and the dedicated DocumentRoot. A request whose hostname matches that name reaches the expected index file and writes to the corresponding logs. If any one of those links is missing, fix that layer—DNS, configuration loading, hostname matching, or filesystem access—rather than changing all of them at once.

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