How to Redirect HTTP to HTTPS on Apache

Aaron KiliLast Updated: August 8, 2017 Read Time: 2 minsApache 14 Comments

HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) is a popular as well as the fundamental protocol for data communication on the World Wide Web (WWW); typically between a web browser and the server which stores web files. Whereas HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP, where the ‘S‘ at the end stands for ‘Secure‘.

Using HTTPS, all data between your browser and the web server are encrypted thus secure. This tutorial will show you how to redirect HTTP to HTTPS on Apache HTTP server in Linux.

Before you can set up an Apache HTTP to HTTPS redirect for your domain, make sure you have SSL certificate installed and mod_rewrite is enabled in Apache. For more information on how to setup SSL on Apache, see following guides.

Redirect HTTP to HTTPS on Apache Using .htaccess File

For this method, make sure mod_rewrite is enabled, otherwise enable it like this on Ubuntu/Debian systems.

$ sudo a2enmod rewrite	[Ubuntu/Debian]

For CentOS/RHEL users, ensure that your have the following line in httpd.conf (mod_rewrite support – enabled by default).

LoadModule rewrite_module modules/mod_rewrite.so

Now you just need to edit or create .htaccess file in your domain root directory and add these lines to redirect http to https.

RewriteEngine On 
RewriteCond %{HTTPS}  !=on 
RewriteRule ^/?(.*) https://%{SERVER_NAME}/\ [R,L]

Now, when a visitor types http://www.yourdomain.com the server will automatically redirect HTTP to HTTPS https://www.yourdomain.com.

Redirect HTTP to HTTPS on Apache Virtual Host

Additionally, to force all web traffic to use HTTPS, you can also configure your virtual host file. Normally, there are two important sections of a virtual host configurations if an SSL certificate is enabled; the first contains configurations for the non-secure port 80.

The second is for the secure port 443. To redirect HTTP to HTTPS for all the pages of your website, first open the appropriate virtual host file. Then modify it by adding the configuration below.

NameVirtualHost *:80
<VirtualHost *:80>
   ServerName www.yourdomain.com
   Redirect / https://www.yourdomain.com
</VirtualHost>

<VirtualHost _default_:443>
   ServerName www.yourdomain.com
   DocumentRoot /usr/local/apache2/htdocs
   SSLEngine On
# etc...
</VirtualHost>

Save and close the file, then restart the HTTP sever like this.

$ sudo systemctl restart apache2     [Ubuntu/Debian]
$ sudo systemctl restart httpd	     [RHEL/CentOS]

While the <VirtualHost> is the most recommended solution because it is simpler and safer.

You may like to read these useful assortment of Apache HTTP server security hardening articles:

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Aaron Kili

Aaron Kili is a Linux and F.O.S.S enthusiast, an upcoming Linux SysAdmin, web developer, and currently a content creator for TecMint who loves working with computers and strongly believes in sharing knowledge.

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14 Comments

Leave a Reply

Aleksandar Gvozden

October 23, 2020 at 8:07 pm
Also, if you using LetsEncrypt certification, add this before redirect rule:
```
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteRule ^\.well-known/.+ - [END]
```
Reply

Thank you for the info. This helped me set up HTTP to HTTPS redirects in OS X 10.14 Mojave. Apple has moved away from its own implementation with OSX 10.14 Mojave, and OSX 10.15 Catalina, so you have to install open-source Apache to get web services working. I had experience deploying Apache in Linux, but not familiar with the steps that were required to get it working on an OSX platform.

Here is what you need to do for OSX 10.14 Mojave:

1) Enable Apache on OSX:

# sudo -s
# cd /private/etc/apache2
# cp ./httpd.conf ./httpd.conf.bak
# apachectl start

2) Modify /private/etc/apache2/httpd.conf file:

## Uncomment the following lines:
LoadModule socache_shmcb_module lib/httpd/modules/mod_socache_shmcb.so
LoadModule ssl_module lib/httpd/modules/mod_ssl.so
LoadModule alias_module libexec/apache2/mod_alias.so
Include /private/etc/apache2/extra/httpd-ssl.conf
Includ /private/etc/apache2/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf
##Change the following lines to the folder path where the web files are located:
DocumentRoot "/Library/WebServer/Documents/xxxx"

3) Modify /private/etc/apache2/httpd-ssl.conf file:

# cp ./httpd-ssl.conf ./httpd-ssl.conf.bak

Add following:

Listen 443
SSLEngine on

##Change the following lines to the folder path where the SSL certificate and key are located:
SSLCertificateFile "/private/etc/apache2/server.crt"
SSLCertificateKeyFiel "/private/etc/apache2/server.key"

4) Modify /private/etc/apache2/httpd-vhosts.conf file.

# cp ./httpd-vhost.conf ./httpd-vhost.conf.bak

Add following:

<VirtualHost *:80>
  ServerName Server.domainname.com
  Redirect permanent / https://server.domainname.com
</VirtualHost>
<VirtualHost *:443>
  ServerAdmin [email protected]
  DocumentRoot "/Library/WebServer/Document/xxxx"
  ServerName server.domainname.com
  SSLcertificateFile "/private/etc/apache2/server.crt
  SSLCertificateKeyFile "/private/etc/apache2/server.key"
  ErrorLog /private/var/log/apache2/server-error_log
  CustomLog /private/vart/log/apache2/server-access_log common
</VirtualHost>

5) Test the Apache configuration for errors after restarting Apache.

# apachectl configtest
httpd -v (Apache Version)

6) Restart apache.

# apachectl start / stop / restart

Kcaldera78

July 22, 2020 at 7:35 pm
Correction to step 2)

Modify /private/etc/apache2/httpd.conf file:

##Change the following lines to the folder path where the web files are located:
```
DocumentRoot "/Library/WebServer/Documents/xxxx"
Directory "/Library/WebServer/Documents/xxxxx"
```
Reply
Frag

December 17, 2020 at 7:43 pm

Tons of misspellings that cause syntax errors in the code above. This causes more problems than solutions.
Reply

MisterX

April 17, 2020 at 12:16 am

Simple and working, thanks
Reply
- Aaron Kili
  
  April 17, 2020 at 11:43 am
  
  @MisterX
  
  Great! Thanks for the useful feedback.
  Reply
Suchetha

December 5, 2018 at 7:57 am
I found that when it comes to the Apache configuration, this worked better –
```
Redirect / https://example.com/
```
The IfModule ensures that your site will be live even if you have forgotten to enable SSL (a. this happened to me that may not necessarily be a BAD thing)

the / at the end of the domain ensures that if you are giving it a full path, it will follow the path.
Reply
Troy Strauch

September 21, 2018 at 1:42 am

I’m assuming that port 443 would also need to be opened up on your firewall for traffic to get through. Is this correct?
Reply
- Aaron Kili
  
  September 21, 2018 at 11:48 am
  
  @Troy
  
  Yes, this is true, especially when you have a firewall running on your system.
  Reply
Mike R.

June 14, 2018 at 4:32 pm

Don’t you have to point to the location of your certificates?
Reply
Neil

March 16, 2018 at 1:54 am

You are missing the slash after the domain name.

Redirect / https://www.yourdomain.com/
Reply
- Aaron Kili
  
  March 16, 2018 at 1:05 pm
  
  @Neil
  
  Thanks for mentioning this, we will add it as soon as possible.
  Reply
Brian

August 9, 2017 at 10:28 pm

I can’t help but think this article could use a bit more detail. Especially when it comes to explaining what is happening in the configuration files. Perhaps comments to explain what each line is acutely doing.
Reply
- Aaron Kili
  
  August 10, 2017 at 1:47 pm
  
  @Brian
  
  You can find detailed information about mod_rewrite rules from here: http://httpd.apache.org/docs/current/mod/mod_rewrite.html
  Reply

Redirect HTTP to HTTPS on Apache Using .htaccess File

Redirect HTTP to HTTPS on Apache Virtual Host

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