Apache HTTP Server—often called Apache or httpd—is open-source web server software. It receives HTTP requests from browsers and other clients, then returns website resources or passes requests to configured handlers that generate responses. It is a software project, not a website, domain registrar, or hosting company.
What Apache means in this context
“Apache” can refer to many projects in the Apache Software Foundation ecosystem. Here it means Apache HTTP Server, also known as Apache httpd. It is distinct from other Apache projects such as Apache Tomcat and Apache Traffic Server, and from the Apache Software Foundation itself. The Apache HTTP Server Project describes httpd as an open-source web server.
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The phrase “web server” can mean either the software that handles web requests or the computer or environment running that software. Apache HTTP Server is the software; a physical machine or cloud environment can host it.
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What Apache HTTP Server does when a site is visited
A browser requests a resource at a URL. After the request reaches the server, Apache applies its configuration to determine how to handle it and sends back an HTTP response, which includes a status code and may include a response body. The response can contain a file, or be produced by a configured handler or program.
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Static files
For a basic static site, Apache can serve files from the directory identified by the DocumentRoot directive. A request for a page or image is mapped to the relevant content on disk and returned to the client.
Dynamic responses
A request does not have to map directly to a file. Apache can route it to a handler, CGI program, module, or other integration that generates a response. The precise behavior depends on the server’s configuration and installed components.
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The project’s Getting Started documentation explains request handling, URLs, configuration, virtual hosts, content, and logs.
How configuration and modules shape an installation
Administrators configure Apache with text files and directives. Some per-directory settings can also be placed in .htaccess files, often when the user managing a site cannot edit the main server configuration. Whether those files are honored depends on the server’s configuration.
Apache is modular: features can be built in or made available by loading modules. The project lists capabilities that include TLS/SSL, authentication, access control, virtual hosting, HTTP/2, caching, URL rewriting, and reverse proxying. These are capabilities of the software, not a promise that every installation has each feature enabled. The project homepage reports “100+ modules”; that is the project’s own figure, not an independent performance measure.
What an MPM is
A Multi-Processing Module (MPM) handles low-level request processing: it binds to ports, accepts requests, and dispatches workers. Apache loads only one MPM at a time. The available choice depends on platform capabilities and compatibility requirements; the project documentation discusses event, worker, and prefork as context-dependent options, not a universally best choice. See the official MPM guide for details.
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What Apache is—and is not
- It is: web server software that can serve static resources and direct requests to configured handlers.
- It is not: a programming language, a website, a domain name, or a hosting company.
- It does not require a particular paid provider: the software is published as an open-source project, and where it runs depends on the deployment.
Current Apache HTTP Server version and support status
As of October 7, 2026, the Apache project identifies version 2.4.69, released October 1, 2026, as the latest stable release and recommends it over previous releases. Release information can change; consult the project’s download page for the current release and its instructions for verifying downloads with published signatures and the Apache KEYS file.
The Apache 2.2 branch is end-of-life. Its final release was 2.2.34 in July 2017, and the project says that branch receives no further patches, bug fixes, or security updates. The project describes httpd as open source; for specific licensing obligations, consult the license text linked from the documentation index.
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