Apache HTTP Server 2.4 on Ubuntu 24.04

## Apache HTTP Server 2.4 on Ubuntu 24.04 by cloudimg

Apache HTTP Server 2.4 on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat), purpose built for Microsoft Azure and maintained by cloudimg. Apache is the most widely deployed open source web server in production today, with mature support for static content, reverse proxying, virtual hosting, and a vast ecosystem of modules.

Why Choose cloudimg?

* 24/7 Expert Support with guaranteed 24 hour response for all requests and one hour average for critical issues. Contact support@cloudimg.co.uk

* Production Ready from Launch Pre configured, security patched, and validated before publication

* Azure Native Integration Built with Azure Linux Agent, cloud init, and Gen2 Hyper V support

* Per VM TLS Certificate Generation A fresh self signed RSA 2048 bit certificate is generated at first boot. No two virtual machines ever share key material; replace with Certbot or your own CA before serving production traffic

What is Included

* Apache HTTP Server 2.4 from the official Ubuntu noble main repository (apache2 + apache2-utils packages)

* Modules enabled at build time: ssl, rewrite, headers, http2

* Event MPM (the modern Ubuntu 24.04 default; well suited to static and reverse-proxy workloads)

* Default virtual hosts on TCP 80 and TCP 443 serving /var/www/html

* Self signed TLS certificate at /etc/ssl/cloudimg/cloudimg.crt and cloudimg.key, generated per VM by apache-firstboot.service

* Security hardening: ServerTokens Prod, ServerSignature Off, TraceEnable Off (cert hygiene; suppresses version disclosure)

* Helper conf at /etc/apache2/conf-available/security-cloudimg.conf (a2enconf'd)

* Ubuntu 24.04 LTS base with latest security patches applied at build time

* Azure Linux Agent for seamless cloud integration and SSH key injection

What is NOT Included

* No PHP. The image is intentionally lean so customers choose their own stack (PHP-FPM, mod_wsgi for Python, Node reverse proxy, static-only, etc.)

* No real TLS certificate. The shipped cert is self signed and intended for build-time validation; replace with Certbot or your CA cert before production use. The user guide covers both paths.

* No mod_security. Customers can install the libapache2-mod-security2 package and the OWASP CRS rules post-deploy if they need a WAF.

Use Cases

* Static site hosting (single domain or multi-tenant via name-based virtual hosts)

* Reverse proxy in front of application servers (Tomcat, Node, Python, Go) using mod_proxy and mod_proxy_http

* TLS termination with HTTP/2 acceleration for downstream HTTP/1.1 backends

* Legacy PHP application hosting (after layering PHP-FPM on top)

* Development and staging web servers for any HTTP workload

* Drop-in replacement for self-managed Apache on EC2 or on premises during cloud migration

Technical Specifications

* Operating System: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat)

* Apache Version: 2.4.x (official Ubuntu noble main repo)

* MPM: event

* Modules: ssl, rewrite, headers, http2 (others available via a2enmod)

* Document Root: /var/www/html

* HTTP Port: 80

* HTTPS Port: 443

* TLS Cert Path: /etc/ssl/cloudimg/cloudimg.crt and cloudimg.key (self signed at firstboot)

* Default User: azureuser (sudo enabled)

* Service Management: systemd (apache2.service, apache-firstboot.service)

* Recommended Size: Standard_B2s (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM); scale up for high request rates or large reverse-proxy fleets

* VM Generation: Hyper V Gen2 with UEFI boot

Support

cloudimg provides 24/7/365 expert technical support. Guaranteed response within 24 hours, one hour average for critical issues. Contact support@cloudimg.co.uk or visit www.cloudimg.co.uk for the latest documentation and deployment guides.