Mastering HTTPD Configurations and Custom HTTPD Configurations in DirectAdmin: A Comprehensive Guide

DirectAdmin writes an Apache configuration for every domain from templates, and it rewrites those files whenever something changes. If you edit the generated files by hand, your change disappears at the next rewrite. This guide explains how DirectAdmin builds the Apache (HTTPD) configuration and the three safe places to put your own directives on a server you run yourself.

1. Who this guide is for

On your own server you are responsible for the Apache configuration. A bad directive can stop Apache for every site on the machine, so always test before you restart (section 6).

2. How DirectAdmin builds the Apache configuration

DirectAdmin never expects you to edit the per-domain Apache files directly. Instead:

• Templates in /usr/local/directadmin/data/templates/ describe what every virtual host looks like. The main ones are virtual_host2.conf (HTTP) and virtual_host2_secure.conf (HTTPS), with matching variants for subdomains.
• Tokens such as |DOMAIN|, |DOCROOT| and |USER| in those templates are filled in for each domain.
• Generated files are written per user, usually to /usr/local/directadmin/data/users/USERNAME/httpd.conf, and Apache includes them.
• A rewrite regenerates all those files, for example when a domain is added, SSL is issued, the PHP mode changes or you run a rebuild.

That last point is why hand edits don't survive: the next rewrite replaces the file from the template.

The generated virtual host contains the directives you would expect:

<VirtualHost 203.0.113.10:80>
    ServerName example.com
    ServerAlias www.example.com
    DocumentRoot /home/username/domains/example.com/public_html
    ErrorLog /var/log/httpd/domains/example.com.error.log
    CustomLog /var/log/httpd/domains/example.com.log combined
</VirtualHost>

The HTTPS version adds SSLEngine on and the certificate paths. DirectAdmin fills those in itself when it issues a Let's Encrypt certificate, so don't hard-code certificate paths.

3. Choose the right place for your change

4. Per-domain changes: Custom HTTPD Configurations

Examples of what fits here:

# Allow symbolic links for this domain's document root
<Directory "|DOCROOT|">
    Options +FollowSymLinks
</Directory>

# Compress text responses for this domain
<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/plain text/css text/xml application/javascript application/json image/svg+xml
</IfModule>

Keep one purpose per block and add a comment, so the next administrator knows why it is there. Note that recent DirectAdmin versions offer settings for some common needs, such as forcing HTTPS or changing the PHP version, in the user panel; use those where they exist rather than custom directives.

5. Server-wide changes

For every virtual host: copy the template you want to change into the custom folder and edit the copy.

cd /usr/local/directadmin/data/templates
cp virtual_host2.conf custom/virtual_host2.conf

DirectAdmin uses the file in custom/ instead of the default. After a DirectAdmin update, compare your copy with the new default template, because new features sometimes need new lines in it.

For Apache itself (modules, timeouts, worker limits): don't edit the main httpd.conf, which CustomBuild can regenerate. Use Apache's extra include file (on most DirectAdmin servers /etc/httpd/conf/extra/httpd-includes.conf) or CustomBuild's custom/ folder, as described in DirectAdmin's documentation for your version.

Settings people usually tune here, with their current Apache 2.4 names:

• KeepAlive and KeepAliveTimeout: reuse connections; keep the timeout short (a few seconds).
• MaxRequestWorkers: the maximum number of requests served at once. This replaced MaxClients in Apache 2.4. Size it to your RAM.
• Timeout: how long Apache waits for slow clients and back ends.

6. Rewrite, test and restart

After any change, rebuild the configuration, check the syntax, then reload Apache.

# Rewrite all DirectAdmin-generated web server configs
da build rewrite_confs

# Check the syntax before reloading
httpd -t

# Reload Apache without dropping connections
systemctl reload httpd

On older DirectAdmin versions without the da command, run ./build rewrite_confs from /usr/local/directadmin/custombuild, or queue a rewrite with echo "action=rewrite&value=httpd" >> /usr/local/directadmin/data/task.queue. If httpd -t reports an error, fix it before reloading; a restart with a broken configuration takes every site offline.

7. Troubleshooting

• Apache won't start after a change. Run httpd -t for the file and line number, then check the Apache error log in /var/log/httpd/.
• Your change disappeared. It was made in a generated file. Move it to Custom HTTPD Configurations or a custom template.
• Symbolic links give 403 Forbidden. Add Options +FollowSymLinks (or the safer +SymLinksIfOwnerMatch) inside the correct Directory block.
• The site uses an old certificate. Let DirectAdmin manage SSL; custom SSL directives that hard-code certificate paths go stale when the certificate renews.
• Compression or headers don't appear. Confirm the module is loaded with httpd -M, and check whether a proxy or CDN in front of Apache changes the response.

8. On Domain India shared DirectAdmin hosting

On shared hosting you don't need, and can't get, admin-level access. You make per-site web server changes in a .htaccess file in your site's folder. Measured on our DirectAdmin server in September 2026:

• mod_rewrite is loaded and .htaccess is allowed, so redirects and rewrite rules work. See how to use mod_rewrite.
• Only these Options values are allowed in .htaccess: Indexes, IncludesNOEXEC, MultiViews, SymLinksIfOwnerMatch, FollowSymLinks and None. Any other value causes a 500 error.
• PHP does not run as an Apache module, so php_value and php_flag lines in .htaccess cause a 500 error. Change PHP settings in the panel instead.
• Free Let's Encrypt SSL is managed from the panel; see Let's Encrypt SSL in DirectAdmin.

If you get a 500 error after an edit, restore your previous .htaccess and read troubleshooting 500 internal server errors.

If you need your own Apache configuration, a VPS gives you root access. Domain India VPS plans are self-managed, and the VPS page lists DirectAdmin as a paid panel option alongside the free choices.

For a site that only needs .htaccess rules, DirectAdmin shared hosting is simpler and cheaper:

Frequently asked questions

Ready to take control of your server? Compare VPS plans for your own DirectAdmin server, or DirectAdmin hosting if .htaccess rules are all you need. For help, use our 24/7 live chat or open a ticket.