a2ensite

Enable a virtual host

$ sudo a2ensite [virtual_host]

$ sudo a2ensite --quiet [virtual_host]

a2ensite site_name

site_name
    The name of the configuration file (without the '.conf' extension, if present) located in the /etc/apache2/sites-available/ directory that you want to enable.

-q
    Quiet mode; suppress all output except error messages.

-p
    Include the site configuration file in the Apache configuration by including it directly instead of creating a symlink. This option requires Apache version 2.4.7 or later.

-n
    No-act mode. Just show what would be done, but don't actually do it.

The a2ensite command is a utility in Debian-based Linux distributions (like Ubuntu) specifically designed to enable website configurations within the Apache web server. It works by creating symbolic links from the /etc/apache2/sites-available/ directory, which contains the configuration files for individual websites or virtual hosts, to the /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/ directory. Apache only loads configurations found in the sites-enabled directory. This separation allows administrators to easily manage and enable/disable websites without directly modifying the core Apache configuration files.

The command simplifies the process of activating a website by handling the necessary symbolic link creation. This prevents manual errors and streamlines server administration tasks. After enabling a site using a2ensite, you must typically restart or reload the Apache web server for the changes to take effect. The corresponding command for disabling sites is a2dissite.

The a2ensite command is specific to Apache web server configurations on Debian-based systems. It might not exist or function identically on other Linux distributions or with other web servers.

You typically need root privileges (using sudo) to execute a2ensite, as it modifies system-level configuration files.

While the a2ensite command usually omits the '.conf' extension when specifying the site name, it's important that the actual file in /etc/apache2/sites-available/ has the '.conf' extension. Otherwise, apache can not find the configuration file.

After using a2ensite, remember to restart or reload Apache for the changes to take effect. Common commands for this are sudo systemctl restart apache2 or sudo apachectl graceful.

The a2ensite command was developed as part of the Apache2 infrastructure on Debian-based systems to simplify the management of virtual host configurations. It has been a standard tool for Apache server administration on these systems for many years, evolving to include additional features and options over time.

a2dissite(8), apache2(8), apachectl(8)