The Tool Desk
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This guide gives a repeatable method for both web servers, including HTTP-versus-HTTPS differences, command-line diagnostics, matching rules, configuration examples, and recovery steps for name-table startup errors.
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Understand what has to match
A virtual host is selected only after the connection reaches the correct machine and listening socket. Configuration directives do not create DNS records. Every hostname a visitor can request must resolve to the server address that actually runs the intended Apache virtual host or Nginx server block.
The five checks
- DNS: Resolve the exact hostname, including any
wwwor alternate name, and verify that the returned address is the intended server. - Listener: Confirm that the service is listening on the address and port used by the connection. Port 80 and port 443 are separate matching sets.
- Hostname directive: Compare the requested name with Apache
ServerName/ServerAliasor Nginxserver_name. - Fallback: If no name matches, determine which virtual host or server block is the default for that address and port.
- TLS selection: For HTTPS, verify SNI and certificate coverage before judging the HTTP routing result.
A useful test changes one variable at a time: first connect to the resolved IP, then send the intended hostname, and finally repeat the same test over TLS.
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How Apache chooses a virtual host
Apache first finds the best matching local address and port from the <VirtualHost> declarations. Within that address-and-port set, it compares the request hostname against ServerName and ServerAlias. If none matches, Apache serves the first listed virtual host in that set. That first entry is therefore a real fallback, not merely the order in which files happen to appear in a directory.
1. Verify DNS and the address-port pair
Resolve the name from a client that reproduces the problem:
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nslookup example.comThe result must include the public or private address where Apache is listening. A correct ServerName cannot compensate for a hostname that resolves elsewhere. Next, inspect Apache’s listener declarations and your virtual-host headers. A block for *:80 cannot answer a connection that arrives on a different port, and a block bound to one local address is not selected for another address unless its declaration covers it.
2. Give every name-based block an explicit name
Set one canonical name with ServerName and list every alternate hostname with ServerAlias. Do this in every name-based block, including the block you intend to be the fallback:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName example.com
ServerAlias www.example.com
DocumentRoot /srv/www/example
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example-error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example-access.log combined
</VirtualHost>Leaving out ServerName allows Apache to derive a name from the system configuration. The derived value can affect matching and makes the parsed configuration harder to reason about. An alias belongs in ServerAlias; placing an alternate hostname only in DNS does not make Apache recognize it.
3. Check for duplicate, missing, or misplaced names
Search all enabled configuration files for the hostname. A name accidentally assigned to two blocks can send traffic to whichever block Apache regards as the first match in the relevant address-and-port set. Conversely, a typo, an omitted www, or a name placed in a different port’s block leaves the request unmatched and invokes the fallback.
Also check that the client sends the spelling you configured. Hostnames are compared as names, not as the URL path. A request for api.example.com will not match an alias for www.example.com, even when both names resolve to the same IP.
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4. Read Apache’s parsed virtual-host map
Do not rely on the order you remember editing. Ask Apache to show the configuration it actually parsed:
sudo apachectl -S
# Windows installations commonly use
httpd.exe -SThe output lists addresses, ports, names, and the default ordering Apache will use. The Apache documentation specifically recommends the -S switch when debugging virtual-host configuration. Use this output to find:
- Two blocks claiming the same hostname.
- A block listening on the wrong port.
- An address that does not match the incoming connection.
- An unintended first virtual host that is acting as the fallback.
- A file you edited that is not enabled or is parsed later than expected.
Correct the source configuration, run the command again, and continue only when the parsed map shows the intended names and order.
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5. Test with an explicit Host header and reload
From a client that can reach the server, send the hostname independently of DNS:
curl -i -H 'Host: example.com' http://SERVER_IP/
curl -i -H 'Host: www.example.com' http://SERVER_IP/Replace SERVER_IP with the address you are testing. If the first command returns the right site but a browser does not, investigate DNS, caching, or a different network path. If both commands return the same wrong site, inspect the Apache map and the block order again.
After changes, validate the configuration and reload Apache using the service method provided by your operating system. A reload applies the corrected map without requiring you to guess whether an old worker still has the previous configuration. Repeat the request after the reload and verify the response body, status, and access log for the intended virtual host.
How Nginx chooses a server block
Nginx selects a server block for the address and port named by listen, then compares the request hostname with each block’s server_name. Names can be exact, wildcard, or regular-expression patterns. A default server handles traffic for a listen socket when no configured name wins. If no block is explicitly marked as the default, the first block for that socket becomes the default.
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1. Confirm the listen socket
Start with the connection’s protocol and port. An HTTP request normally reaches the port-80 listen set; an HTTPS request normally reaches the port-443 set. A correct server_name in a block listening on one socket cannot receive a request that arrived on another.
server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com www.example.com;
root /srv/www/example;
}
server {
listen 443 ssl;
server_name example.com www.example.com;
root /srv/www/example;
# certificate and key directives belong here
}Keep the names for a site on the appropriate HTTP and HTTPS blocks. If only the port-80 block contains the hostname, HTTP can work while HTTPS falls into another block.
2. Understand name matching and fallback
An exact name is the most specific choice. Wildcards cover groups of names, and regular expressions provide pattern-based matching. Nginx applies its documented precedence rules rather than simply choosing the block that appears closest to the request in a file. A broad wildcard or an early regular expression can therefore capture traffic you expected an exact name to receive.
Use explicit names whenever possible. For example, put example.com and www.example.com directly in server_name instead of relying on a broad pattern such as *.example.com. If a regex is necessary, quote it when it contains characters that Nginx could otherwise interpret as configuration syntax:
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listen 80 default_server;
server_name _;
return 444;
}
server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com www.example.com;
root /srv/www/example;
}The first block above is an intentional catch-all for unmatched HTTP requests. Without an intentional default, the first block on the socket may expose a different site and make a hostname error look like an application failure.
3. Test the name without changing DNS
Use the address directly while supplying the expected hostname:
curl -i -H 'Host: example.com' http://SERVER_IP/
curl -i --resolve example.com:443:SERVER_IP https://example.com/The --resolve form connects to the chosen address while preserving the HTTPS hostname for SNI and the HTTP Host header. It is useful when public DNS still points somewhere else. Check the returned certificate, status, and content; a correct page over HTTP does not prove that the TLS server block is correct.
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4. Validate and inspect the active configuration
Before reloading, ask Nginx to parse the complete configuration:
sudo nginx -t
sudo nginx -TThe test command reports syntax and startup failures. The dump command prints the expanded configuration, which helps you find an included file containing a duplicate name, an unexpected default, or a second listen declaration. Reload only after the test succeeds, then repeat the hostname-specific curl request.
5. Repair server-name hash errors
When Nginx cannot build its name table, it may report could not build the server_names_hash. The documented remedies depend on the cause:
- Increase
server_names_hash_bucket_sizewhen an unusually long name does not fit in a bucket. - Increase
server_names_hash_max_sizewhen the configuration contains many names.
Place the relevant directive in the http context, test the configuration, and reload. Do not use larger values as a substitute for removing accidental duplicates or names that are no longer needed; first make the set of names deliberate.
Why HTTPS can show the wrong site when HTTP works
HTTPS adds a selection step during the TLS handshake. Nginx documents that it can choose a server context from the client’s SNI value before the request line and HTTP Host header are processed. The certificate and the eventual content can therefore come from a different block even when the HTTP configuration is correct.
Read the symptom correctly
- Wrong certificate before any page loads: the client’s SNI name is not reaching the intended TLS block, the name is absent from that block, or the default TLS block is being selected.
- Correct certificate but wrong page: the TLS name may be covered, but the resulting HTTP request is matching another
server_name, default, or upstream route. - HTTP correct, HTTPS wrong: compare the port-80 and port-443 listener declarations and names side by side; they are independent matching sets.
A repeatable TLS test
- Resolve the hostname and confirm the address is the server you intend to test.
- Use
curl -i --resolve example.com:443:SERVER_IP https://example.com/so SNI, the URL hostname, and the HTTPHostheader all carry the same name. - Inspect the certificate’s names and the response body. A certificate for another site proves that the TLS selection failed before normal HTTP routing.
- Compare the HTTPS block’s
listen 443 ssl,server_name, certificate, and key with the hostname being tested. - Retest without
--resolve. If the forced-address test works but the normal test fails, DNS or an intermediate address is sending the client elsewhere.
Apache deployments also need the intended SSL virtual host to cover the correct address and port and to declare its hostnames explicitly. The same diagnostic separation applies: first prove the connection reaches the right TLS listener, then prove the name matches the SSL virtual host.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Apache and Nginx compared while debugging
| Question | Apache | Nginx |
|---|---|---|
| Hostname directive | ServerName for the canonical name and ServerAlias for alternate names inside <VirtualHost>. |
server_name inside a server block. |
| Address and port | Apache first selects the best matching address-and-port virtual-host set. | Nginx first selects the listen address and port, then compares names. |
| Unmatched request | The first listed matching address-and-port virtual host is served. | The default server for the listen socket is served; if none is marked, the first block is the default. |
| HTTPS timing | The SSL virtual host must cover the connection and hostname. | SNI can select a server context during TLS before the HTTP Host header is processed. |
| Primary diagnostic | apachectl -S on Unix-like systems or httpd.exe -S on Windows. |
nginx -t for parsing/startup validation and nginx -T to inspect the loaded configuration. |
| Scale-related failure | Look for duplicate names, missing aliases, wrong ports, and unintended first-vhost ordering. | Adjust server_names_hash_bucket_size for long names or server_names_hash_max_size for many names when Nginx reports a name-hash build error. |
Use the response to locate the fault
Run the same hostname tests against both protocols and record what changes. This small matrix prevents you from fixing the wrong layer:
| HTTP result | HTTPS result | Most likely area to inspect first |
|---|---|---|
| Wrong site | Wrong site | DNS, listener address/port, hostname directive, or default ordering. |
| Correct site | Wrong certificate or site | Port-443 block, SNI name, certificate coverage, or TLS default. |
| Wrong site | Correct site | Port-80 block, its fallback order, or an HTTP-only alias omission. |
| Correct site | Connection or startup failure | HTTPS listener, certificate/key configuration, or Nginx name-table limits. |
Use a response header or a temporary, clearly identifiable document only while testing, and remove it afterward. Access logs are especially useful: confirm that the request reached the expected virtual host’s log rather than inferring routing from a generic error page.
Common repairs that do not solve the underlying problem
Changing only the document root
A different DocumentRoot or root changes files served after a block has been selected. It does not make Apache or Nginx select that block. Fix the name, listener, or default first.
Adding another DNS record without checking the old one
Adding an alias record helps only when it resolves to the same intended server. Verify every returned address and every hostname variant. A record for the bare name does not automatically cover www, and an alias in the web-server configuration does not publish DNS.
Editing a file that is not loaded
Apache’s -S output and Nginx’s -T output show what is active. If your change is absent there, enable or include the file that contains it before troubleshooting matching rules.
Relying on a wildcard for unrelated names
Wildcards and regular expressions are powerful but broad. An exact name is easier to audit and less likely to capture a neighboring site. Keep the fallback block intentional and make broad patterns the exception.
Reloading without a syntax check
A failed reload can leave the old configuration serving traffic, while a successful reload of an unintended default preserves the wrong-site symptom. Parse first, inspect the resulting map, then reload and test.
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- Write down the exact hostname, protocol, port, and expected site.
- Resolve that hostname and verify every returned address belongs to the intended server.
- Confirm Apache’s
<VirtualHost>or Nginx’slistendeclaration covers the address and port. - Ensure Apache has an explicit
ServerNameand all alternates inServerAlias; ensure Nginx lists the names in the relevantserver_name. - Inspect Apache with
apachectl -Sorhttpd.exe -S; inspect Nginx withnginx -tandnginx -T. - Remove duplicate or misspelled names and set an intentional fallback/default.
- For HTTPS, verify SNI, certificate names, and the port-443 block independently of HTTP.
- If Nginx reports a server-name hash error, adjust the documented bucket or maximum-size directive according to whether names are unusually long or numerous.
- Reload only after validation succeeds.
- Test with an explicit
Hostheader for HTTP and a hostname-preserving--resolverequest for HTTPS, then confirm the expected access log.
Following this sequence turns a generic “wrong site” report into a bounded diagnosis: the request either resolved to the wrong address, reached the wrong socket, failed hostname matching, selected an intentional or accidental fallback, or was routed during TLS before HTTP processing. Correct that specific layer and leave the other configuration unchanged.
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