Apache Configuration System

Understanding The System

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  1. The Apache Configuration File is Not a Data Storage Medium - Many actions performed by the WebHost Manager, cPanel and associated scripts make changes to the Apache configuration file. In earlier versions of cPanel, the only way to tell whether a particular action had been performed was to examine the resulting configuration file. For instance, if you wanted to determine if a domain was configured as an add-on domain, a sub-domain, or a parked-domain, then you would need to examine the related virtual host entry and look for the particular way cPanel writes these entries. If the Apache configuration file was lost or corrupted, then the state of a domain may also be lost.
  2. The Apache Configuration Is Not a Configuration Interface - If cPanel software cannot be used to create a certain configuration, then the temptation always exists to edit the Apache configuration directly. The new configuration system does allow this to continue as detailed below, but the move is definitely away from direct edits of the configuration files.
  3. PHP and Apache Should Be Fully Configurable - This was certainly a design goal early on. We also wanted to make it possible to select all the various options the different versions of Apache and PHP have available. Although the initial list of available options is limited, the current option set covers the vast majority of circumstances, while significantly reducing the chances of a user generated configuration creating a nonfunctional configuration.
  4. The Apache Configuration System Should Create a Working Configuration - Due to the wide variety of options and nearly infinite number of possible configurations, creating a nonfunctional configuration is a distinct possibility. Migrating an Apache 1.x configuration to an Apache 2.x configuration is no simple matter. We've attempted to fully abstract this process to simplify the transition while retaining as much information as possible. Due to the large number of possible configurations, we can't possibly test and verify compatibility for all. There will always be exceptions, but for the vast majority of users, the Apache configuration system will create a valid working setup. If a working configuration cannot be found based upon your current settings, then cPanel's software takes the route of "do no harm" and will attempt to restore your previously working configuration and alert you of the issue.