# Bitnami package for Apache ## What is Apache? > Apache HTTP Server is an open-source HTTP server. The goal of this project is to provide a secure, efficient and extensible server that provides HTTP services in sync with the current HTTP standards. [Overview of Apache](https://httpd.apache.org/) Trademarks: This software listing is packaged by Bitnami. The respective trademarks mentioned in the offering are owned by the respective companies, and use of them does not imply any affiliation or endorsement. ## TL;DR ```console docker run --name apache bitnami/apache:latest ``` You can find the available configuration options in the [Environment Variables](#environment-variables) section. ## ⚠️ Important Notice: Upcoming changes to the Bitnami Catalog Beginning August 28th, 2025, Bitnami will evolve its public catalog to offer a curated set of hardened, security-focused images under the new [Bitnami Secure Images initiative](https://news.broadcom.com/app-dev/broadcom-introduces-bitnami-secure-images-for-production-ready-containerized-applications). As part of this transition: - Granting community users access for the first time to security-optimized versions of popular container images. - Bitnami will begin deprecating support for non-hardened, Debian-based software images in its free tier and will gradually remove non-latest tags from the public catalog. As a result, community users will have access to a reduced number of hardened images. These images are published only under the “latest” tag and are intended for development purposes - Starting August 28th, over two weeks, all existing container images, including older or versioned tags (e.g., 2.50.0, 10.6), will be migrated from the public catalog (docker.io/bitnami) to the “Bitnami Legacy” repository (docker.io/bitnamilegacy), where they will no longer receive updates. - For production workloads and long-term support, users are encouraged to adopt Bitnami Secure Images, which include hardened containers, smaller attack surfaces, CVE transparency (via VEX/KEV), SBOMs, and enterprise support. These changes aim to improve the security posture of all Bitnami users by promoting best practices for software supply chain integrity and up-to-date deployments. For more details, visit the [Bitnami Secure Images announcement](https://github.com/bitnami/containers/issues/83267). ## Why use Bitnami Secure Images? - Bitnami Secure Images and Helm charts are built to make open source more secure and enterprise ready. - Triage security vulnerabilities faster, with transparency into CVE risks using industry standard Vulnerability Exploitability Exchange (VEX), KEV, and EPSS scores. - Our hardened images use a minimal OS (Photon Linux), which reduces the attack surface while maintaining extensibility through the use of an industry standard package format. - Stay more secure and compliant with continuously built images updated within hours of upstream patches. - Bitnami containers, virtual machines and cloud images use the same components and configuration approach - making it easy to switch between formats based on your project needs. - Hardened images come with attestation signatures (Notation), SBOMs, virus scan reports and other metadata produced in an SLSA-3 compliant software factory. Only a subset of BSI applications are available for free. Looking to access the entire catalog of applications as well as enterprise support? Try the [commercial edition of Bitnami Secure Images today](https://www.arrow.com/globalecs/uk/products/bitnami-secure-images/). ## How to deploy Apache in Kubernetes? Deploying Bitnami applications as Helm Charts is the easiest way to get started with our applications on Kubernetes. Read more about the installation in the [Bitnami Apache Chart GitHub repository](https://github.com/bitnami/charts/tree/master/bitnami/apache). ## Why use a non-root container? Non-root container images add an extra layer of security and are generally recommended for production environments. However, because they run as a non-root user, privileged tasks are typically off-limits. Learn more about non-root containers [in our docs](https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware-tanzu/application-catalog/tanzu-application-catalog/services/tac-doc/apps-tutorials-work-with-non-root-containers-index.html). ## Supported tags and respective `Dockerfile` links Learn more about the Bitnami tagging policy and the difference between rolling tags and immutable tags [in our documentation page](https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware-tanzu/application-catalog/tanzu-application-catalog/services/tac-doc/apps-tutorials-understand-rolling-tags-containers-index.html). You can see the equivalence between the different tags by taking a look at the `tags-info.yaml` file present in the branch folder, i.e `bitnami/ASSET/BRANCH/DISTRO/tags-info.yaml`. Subscribe to project updates by watching the [bitnami/containers GitHub repo](https://github.com/bitnami/containers). ## Get this image The recommended way to get the Bitnami Apache Docker Image is to pull the prebuilt image from the [Docker Hub Registry](https://hub.docker.com/r/bitnami/apache). ```console docker pull bitnami/apache:latest ``` To use a specific version, you can pull a versioned tag. You can view the [list of available versions](https://hub.docker.com/r/bitnami/apache/tags/) in the Docker Hub Registry. ```console docker pull bitnami/apache:[TAG] ``` If you wish, you can also build the image yourself by cloning the repository, changing to the directory containing the Dockerfile and executing the `docker build` command. Remember to replace the `APP`, `VERSION` and `OPERATING-SYSTEM` path placeholders in the example command below with the correct values. ```console git clone https://github.com/bitnami/containers.git cd bitnami/APP/VERSION/OPERATING-SYSTEM docker build -t bitnami/APP:latest . ``` ## Hosting a static website The `/app` path is configured as the Apache [DocumentRoot](https://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.4/urlmapping.html#documentroot). Content mounted here is served by the default catch-all virtual host. ```console docker run --name apache -v /path/to/app:/app bitnami/apache:latest ``` or using Docker Compose: ```yaml version: '2' services: apache: image: bitnami/apache:latest ports: - 80:8080 - 443:8443 volumes: - /path/to/app:/app ``` > NOTE: As this is a non-root container, the mounted files and directories must have the proper permissions for the UID `1001`. ## Accessing your server from the host To access your web server from your host machine you can ask Docker to map a random port on your host to ports `8080` and `8443` exposed in the container. ```console docker run --name apache -P bitnami/apache:latest ``` Run `docker port` to determine the random ports Docker assigned. ```console $ docker port apache 8443/tcp -> 0.0.0.0:32768 8080/tcp -> 0.0.0.0:32769 ``` You can also manually specify the ports you want forwarded from your host to the container. ```console docker run -p 8080:8080 -p 8443:8443 bitnami/apache:latest ``` Access your web server in the browser by navigating to `http://localhost:8080/`. ## Configuration ### Environment variables #### Customizable environment variables | Name | Description | Default Value | |----------------------------|-----------------------------------|---------------| | `APACHE_HTTP_PORT_NUMBER` | HTTP port number used by Apache. | `nil` | | `APACHE_HTTPS_PORT_NUMBER` | HTTPS port number used by Apache. | `nil` | | `APACHE_SERVER_TOKENS` | Apache ServerTokens directive. | `Prod` | #### Read-only environment variables | Name | Description | Value | |------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------| | `WEB_SERVER_TYPE` | Web server type | `apache` | | `APACHE_BASE_DIR` | Apache installation directory. | `${BITNAMI_ROOT_DIR}/apache` | | `APACHE_BIN_DIR` | Apache directory for binary executables. | `${APACHE_BASE_DIR}/bin` | | `APACHE_CONF_DIR` | Apache configuration directory. | `${APACHE_BASE_DIR}/conf` | | `APACHE_DEFAULT_CONF_DIR` | Apache default configuration directory. | `${APACHE_BASE_DIR}/conf.default` | | `APACHE_HTDOCS_DIR` | Directory containing HTTP files to serve via Apache. | `${APACHE_BASE_DIR}/htdocs` | | `APACHE_TMP_DIR` | Apache directory for runtime temporary files. | `${APACHE_BASE_DIR}/var/run` | | `APACHE_LOGS_DIR` | Apache directory for logs. | `${APACHE_BASE_DIR}/logs` | | `APACHE_VHOSTS_DIR` | Apache directory for virtual hosts. | `${APACHE_CONF_DIR}/vhosts` | | `APACHE_HTACCESS_DIR` | Apache directory for htaccess files. | `${APACHE_VHOSTS_DIR}/htaccess` | | `APACHE_CONF_FILE` | Path to the Apache configuration. | `${APACHE_CONF_DIR}/httpd.conf` | | `APACHE_PID_FILE` | Path to the Apache PID file. | `${APACHE_TMP_DIR}/httpd.pid` | | `APACHE_DAEMON_USER` | Apache system user. | `daemon` | | `APACHE_DAEMON_GROUP` | Apache system group. | `daemon` | | `APACHE_DEFAULT_HTTP_PORT_NUMBER` | Default Apache HTTP port number to enable at build time. | `8080` | | `APACHE_DEFAULT_HTTPS_PORT_NUMBER` | Default Apache HTTPS port number to enable at build time. | `8443` | When you start the Apache image, you can adjust the configuration of the instance by passing one or more environment variables either on the docker-compose file or on the `docker run` command line. If you want to add a new environment variable: - For docker-compose add the variable name and value under the application section: ```yaml version: '2' services: apache: image: bitnami/apache:latest ports: - 80:8081 - 443:8443 environment: - APACHE_HTTP_PORT_NUMBER=8081 ``` - For manual execution add a `-e` option with each variable and value: ```console docker run -d --name apache -p 80:8081 -p 443:443 \ --network apache-tier \ --e APACHE_HTTP_PORT_NUMBER=8081 \ bitnami/apache:latest ``` ### Adding custom virtual hosts The default `httpd.conf` includes virtual hosts placed in `/opt/bitnami/apache/conf/vhosts/`. You can mount a `my_vhost.conf` file containing your custom virtual hosts at the `/vhosts` folder. For example, in order add a vhost for `www.example.com`: #### Step 1: Write your `my_vhost.conf` file with the following content ```apache ServerName www.example.com DocumentRoot "/app" Options Indexes FollowSymLinks AllowOverride All Require all granted ``` #### Step 2: Mount the configuration as a volume ```console docker run --name apache \ -v /path/to/my_vhost.conf:/vhosts/my_vhost.conf:ro \ bitnami/apache:latest ``` or using Docker Compose: ```yaml version: '2' services: apache: image: bitnami/apache:latest ports: - 80:8080 - 443:8443 volumes: - /path/to/my_vhost.conf:/vhosts/my_vhost.conf:ro ``` ### Using custom SSL certificates *NOTE:* The steps below assume that you are using a custom domain name and that you have already configured the custom domain name to point to your server. This container comes with SSL support already pre-configured and with a dummy certificate in place (`tls.crt` and `tls.key` files in `/certs`). If you want to use your own certificate (`.crt`) and certificate key (`.key`) files, follow the steps below: #### Step 1: Prepare your certificate files In your local computer, create a folder called `certs` and put your certificates files. Make sure you rename both files to `server.crt` and `server.key` respectively: ```console mkdir /path/to/apache-certs -p cp /path/to/certfile.crt /path/to/apache-certs/server.crt cp /path/to/keyfile.key /path/to/apache-certs/server.key ``` #### Step 2: Run the Apache image Run the Apache image, mounting the certificates directory from your host. ```console docker run --name apache \ -v /path/to/apache-certs:/certs \ bitnami/apache:latest ``` or using Docker Compose: ```yaml version: '2' services: apache: image: bitnami/apache:latest ports: - 80:8080 - 443:8443 volumes: - /path/to/apache-certs:/certs ``` ### Full configuration The image looks for configurations in `/opt/bitnami/apache/conf`. You can overwrite the `httpd.conf` file using your own custom configuration file. ```console docker run --name apache \ -v /path/to/httpd.conf:/opt/bitnami/apache/conf/httpd.conf \ bitnami/apache:latest ``` or using Docker Compose: ```yaml version: '2' services: apache: image: bitnami/apache:latest ports: - 80:8080 - 443:8443 volumes: - /path/to/httpd.conf:/opt/bitnami/apache/conf/httpd.conf ``` ### FIPS configuration in Bitnami Secure Images The Bitnami Apache Docker image from the [Bitnami Secure Images](https://www.arrow.com/globalecs/uk/products/bitnami-secure-images/) catalog includes extra features and settings to configure the container with FIPS capabilities. You can configure the next environment variables: - `OPENSSL_FIPS`: whether OpenSSL runs in FIPS mode or not. `yes` (default), `no`. ## Reverse proxy to other containers Apache can be used to reverse proxy to other containers using Docker's linking system. This is particularly useful if you want to serve dynamic content through an Apache frontend. **Further Reading:** - [mod_proxy documentation](http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/mod/mod_proxy.html#forwardreverse) ## Logging The Bitnami Apache Docker image sends the container logs to the `stdout`. To view the logs: ```console docker logs apache ``` or using Docker Compose: ```console docker-compose logs apache ``` You can configure the containers [logging driver](https://docs.docker.com/engine/admin/logging/overview/) using the `--log-driver` option if you wish to consume the container logs differently. In the default configuration docker uses the `json-file` driver. ## Customize this image The Bitnami Apache Docker image is designed to be extended so it can be used as the base image for your custom web applications. ### Extend this image Before extending this image, please note there are certain configuration settings you can modify using the original image: - Settings that can be adapted using environment variables. For instance, you can change the ports used by Apache for HTTP and HTTPS, by setting the environment variables `APACHE_HTTP_PORT_NUMBER` and `APACHE_HTTPS_PORT_NUMBER` respectively. - [Adding custom virtual hosts](#adding-custom-virtual-hosts). - [Replacing the 'httpd.conf' file](#full-configuration). - [Using custom SSL certificates](#using-custom-ssl-certificates). If your desired customizations cannot be covered using the methods mentioned above, extend the image. To do so, create your own image using a Dockerfile with the format below: ```Dockerfile FROM bitnami/apache ### Put your customizations below ... ``` Here is an example of extending the image with the following modifications: - Install the `vim` editor - Modify the Apache configuration file - Modify the ports used by Apache - Change the user that runs the container ```Dockerfile FROM bitnami/apache ### Change user to perform privileged actions USER 0 ### Install 'vim' RUN install_packages vim ### Revert to the original non-root user USER 1001 ### Enable mod_ratelimit module RUN sed -i -r 's/#LoadModule ratelimit_module/LoadModule ratelimit_module/' /opt/bitnami/apache/conf/httpd.conf ### Modify the ports used by Apache by default ## It is also possible to change these environment variables at runtime ENV APACHE_HTTP_PORT_NUMBER=8181 EXPOSE 8181 8443 ### Modify the default container user USER 1002 ``` Based on the extended image, you can use a Docker Compose file like the one below to add other features: - Add a custom virtual host - Add custom certificates - Clone your web application and serve it through Apache ```yaml version: '2' services: apache: build: . ports: - 80:8181 - 443:8443 depends_on: - cloner volumes: - ./config/my_vhost.conf:/vhosts/my_vhost.conf:ro - ./certs:/certs - data:/app cloner: image: bitnami/git:latest command: - clone - https://github.com/cloudacademy/static-website-example - /app volumes: - data:/app volumes: data: driver: local ``` ## Maintenance ### Upgrade this image Bitnami provides up-to-date versions of Apache, including security patches, soon after they are made upstream. We recommend that you follow these steps to upgrade your container. #### Step 1: Get the updated image ```console docker pull bitnami/apache:latest ``` or if you're using Docker Compose, update the value of the image property to `bitnami/apache:latest`. #### Step 2: Stop and backup the currently running container Stop the currently running container using the command ```console docker stop apache ``` or using Docker Compose: ```console docker-compose stop apache ``` Next, take a snapshot of the persistent volume `/path/to/apache-persistence` using: ```console rsync -a /path/to/apache-persistence /path/to/apache-persistence.bkp.$(date +%Y%m%d-%H.%M.%S) ``` You can use this snapshot to restore the database state should the upgrade fail. #### Step 3: Remove the currently running container ```console docker rm -v apache ``` or using Docker Compose: ```console docker-compose rm -v apache ``` #### Step 4: Run the new image Re-create your container from the new image. ```console docker run --name apache bitnami/apache:latest ``` or using Docker Compose: ```console docker-compose up apache ``` ## Useful Links - [Create An AMP Development Environment With Bitnami Containers](https://docs.bitnami.com/containers/how-to/create-amp-environment-containers/) ## Notable Changes ### 2.4.64-debian-12-r2 - This image updates TLS-related files: certificates and keys are now `tls.crt`/`tls.key` (from `server.crt`/`server.key`), and the certificate signing request is now `tls.csr` (from `server.csr`). This change aligns better with the kubernetes.io/tls secret type, enhancing consistency. ### 2.4.54-debian-11-r22 - Removed the [Apache PageSpeed Module (`mod_pagespeed`)](https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/module). ### 2.4.43-debian-10-r66 - Included [Apache PageSpeed Module (`mod_pagespeed`)](https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/module). It is disabled by default. To enable it, uncomment the following lines in `httpd.conf`: ```config ##Include conf/pagespeed.conf ##Include conf/pagespeed_libraries.conf ``` - Included [ModSecurity v2](https://github.com/SpiderLabs/ModSecurity). It is disabled by default. To enable it, mount and enable your custom ModSecurity rules for the virtual hosts, and uncomment the following line in `httpd.conf`: ```config ##LoadModule security2_module modules/mod_security2.so ``` - Included [ModSecurity v3](https://github.com/SpiderLabs/ModSecurity) and [ModSecurity v3 Apache Connector (`mod_security3`)](https://github.com/SpiderLabs/ModSecurity-apache). It is disabled by default. To enable it, mount and enable your custom ModSecurity rules for the virtual hosts, and uncomment the following line in `httpd.conf`: ```config ##LoadModule security3_module modules/mod_security3.so ``` ### 2.4.41-debian-9-r40 and 2.4.41-ol-7-r42 - Decrease the size of the container. The configuration logic is now based on Bash scripts in the `rootfs/` folder. ### 2.4.39-debian-9-r40 and 2.4.39-ol-7-r50 - This image has been adapted so it's easier to customize. See the [Customize this image](#customize-this-image) section for more information. - The Apache configuration volume (`/bitnami/apache`) has been deprecated, and support for this feature will be dropped in the near future. Until then, the container will enable the Apache configuration from that volume if it exists. By default, and if the configuration volume does not exist, the configuration files will be regenerated each time the container is created. Users wanting to apply custom Apache configuration files are advised to mount a volume for the configuration at `/opt/bitnami/apache/conf`, or mount specific configuration files individually. - Enabling custom Apache certificates by placing them at `/opt/bitnami/apache/certs` has been deprecated, and support for this functionality will be dropped in the near future. Users wanting to enable custom certificates are advised to mount their certificate files on top of the preconfigured ones at `/certs`. Find an example at [Using custom SSL certificates](#using-custom-ssl-certificates). ### 2.4.34-r8 - The Apache container has been migrated to a non-root user approach. Previously the container ran as the `root` user and the Apache daemon was started as the `apache` user. From now on, both the container and the Apache daemon run as user `1001`. As a consequence, the HTTP/HTTPS ports exposed by the container are now 8080/8443 instead of 80/443. You can revert this behavior by changing `USER 1001` to `USER root` in the Dockerfile. ### 2.4.18-r0 - The configuration volume has been moved to `/bitnami/apache`. Now you only need to mount a single volume at `/bitnami/apache` for persisting configuration. `/app` is still used for serving content by the default virtual host. - The logs are always sent to the `stdout` and are no longer collected in the volume. ### 2.4.12-4-r01 - The `/app` directory is no longer exported as a volume. This caused problems when building on top of the image, since changes in the volume are not persisted between Dockerfile `RUN` instructions. To keep the previous behavior (so that you can mount the volume in another container), create the container with the `-v /app` option. ## Using `docker-compose.yaml` Please be aware this file has not undergone internal testing. Consequently, we advise its use exclusively for development or testing purposes. For production-ready deployments, we highly recommend utilizing its associated [Bitnami Helm chart](https://github.com/bitnami/charts/tree/main/bitnami/apache). If you detect any issue in the `docker-compose.yaml` file, feel free to report it or contribute with a fix by following our [Contributing Guidelines](https://github.com/bitnami/containers/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md). ## Contributing We'd love for you to contribute to this container. You can request new features by creating an [issue](https://github.com/bitnami/containers/issues) or submitting a [pull request](https://github.com/bitnami/containers/pulls) with your contribution. ## Issues If you encountered a problem running this container, you can file an [issue](https://github.com/bitnami/containers/issues/new/choose). For us to provide better support, be sure to fill the issue template. ## License Copyright © 2025 Broadcom. The term "Broadcom" refers to Broadcom Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.