> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.hosting.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Creating an Apache installation for local testing

> Learn how to install the Apache web server locally for testing and development. Just follow our easy step-by-step instructions to get started!

This article describes how to create an Apache web server installation that you can use for local testing.

<Warning>
  **Important**

  The following procedures assume that you have already created a virtual machine running AlmaLinux on your local computer. For information about how to do this, please see [this article](/docs/configuring-a-virtual-machine-for-local-testing).
</Warning>

## Installing Apache

Apache is a popular open-source web server. It is used on many hosting.com servers, and is a good choice for your own testing environments.

To install Apache on your virtual machine, follow these steps:

1. Start the virtual machine, if you haven't already.

2. Log in to the virtual machine as the root user.

3. At the command prompt, type the following command to install Apache:

   ```bash theme={null}
   yum install httpd
   ```

   > 👍 Tip
   >
   > *httpd* is short for "HTTP daemon" -- don't worry, you are installing Apache.

4. At the **Is this ok** prompt, type `y` and then press Enter. The installation process begins.

5. After installation completes, type the following command to start Apache:

   ```bash theme={null}
   systemctl start httpd
   ```

6. To confirm Apache is running, type the following command:

   ```bash theme={null}
   systemctl status httpd
   ```

You should see **Active: active (running)** in the output.

7. To make Apache start automatically on system boot, type the following command:

   ```bash theme={null}
   systemctl enable httpd
   ```

8. You are now ready to configure the web server. For information about how to do this, you can view the official online Apache documentation at [https://httpd.apache.org/docs](https://httpd.apache.org/docs).

## Related articles

* [Apache web server](/docs/apache-web-server)