Can&#39;t get Ubuntu / Apache to render application

Level 58

It looks like you've set up your virtual host and hosts file correctly, but the issue might be related to Apache not interpreting the PHP code and instead serving the index.php file as plain text. This can happen if the PHP module is not enabled in Apache or if the .htaccess file is not being read correctly.

Here are some steps to troubleshoot and resolve the issue:

Enable mod_rewrite: Make sure that the mod_rewrite module is enabled in Apache. This module is necessary for the .htaccess file to work properly.

You can enable it by running the following command:
```
sudo a2enmod rewrite
```
Restart Apache: After enabling mod_rewrite, you need to restart Apache for the changes to take effect.
```
sudo systemctl restart apache2
```
Check .htaccess: Ensure that the .htaccess file is present in your /var/www/test/public directory and that it is the default one provided by Laravel. If it's missing, you can get a fresh copy from a new Laravel installation or from the Laravel repository.
Enable PHP module: Make sure that the PHP module is enabled in Apache. You can enable it with the following command:
```
sudo a2enmod php<version>
```
Replace <version> with the version of PHP you are using (e.g., php7.4).
Check Apache Configuration: Ensure that the AllowOverride directive is set to All within your <Directory> block in the virtual host file, which it is as per your provided configuration. This allows .htaccess files to override server configuration settings.
Permissions: You mentioned setting permissions to 775 and 777. While this is okay for a development server, make sure that the owner of the files is the Apache user (usually www-data on Ubuntu). You can set the correct ownership with:
```
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/test
```
Check Apache Error Logs: If none of the above steps work, check the Apache error logs for any specific errors that might be occurring. You can view the error log with:
```
sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log
```
Ensure PHP is Working: Create a phpinfo.php file in your /var/www/test/public directory with the following content to ensure PHP is working:
```
<?php phpinfo(); ?>
```
Then navigate to http://test.local/phpinfo.php in your browser. If PHP is configured correctly, you should see the PHP information page.
Clear Laravel Cache: Sometimes, Laravel cache can cause issues. Clear the cache by running these commands from your project root:
```
php artisan config:clear
php artisan cache:clear
php artisan view:clear
php artisan route:clear
```

After following these steps, try accessing http://test.local again. If the problem persists, please provide any error messages you're seeing in the Apache error log for further assistance.

Tray2

https://www.howtoforge.com/tutorial/install-laravel-on-ubuntu-for-apache/

Level 73

When I need to setup a LEMP or LAMP I always check https://www.howtoforge.com, they have guide for basically anything related to linux.

I think this one would be a good place to start for you.

Level 15

@Tray2 thanks for that. I will check it out! I spent the afternoon with PHP Storm/Jetbrains AI assistant. Very frustrating experience. It just went around and around in circles without a solution. The crazy thing is my Ubuntu server used to work just fine 5 months ago.

jlrdw

Level 75

@vincej Like I mentioned in other posts you have to chown for yourself (sudo user).

Level 15

@jlrdw Thanks for that. Can you clarify, Apache requires www-data as the user.

jlrdw

https://www.computernetworkingnotes.com/linux-tutorials/xampp-htdocs-permission-issue-and-fix-in-ubuntu.html

Level 75

@vincej this article will help:

I just ran:

sudo chown -R sudo_user:sudo_user /opt/lampp/htdocs
sudo chmod 755 -R /opt/lampp/htdocs

Change sudo_user to actual sudo user.

Example your user name is billybob.

so:

sudo chown -R billybob:billybob /opt/lampp/htdocs

SImilar for other folders as needed. Development only here.

Edit:

Also Digital Ocean has articles on setup for production.

https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-install-the-apache-web-server-on-ubuntu-22-04

jpmg

Level 13

@vincej I had a similar problem and with a guide that I got I can make it work correctly, I leave you the link https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-install-the-apache-web-server-on-ubuntu-22-04 from point 5 was the solution.. Currently this works perfectly for me.

 <VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerAdmin [email protected]
    ServerName cronoapp.net
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html/cronoapp/public

    <Directory /var/www/html/cronoapp>
            Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
            AllowOverride All
           Order allow,deny
           allow from all
           Require all granted
</Directory>

ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined

Level 15

@jpmg Thank you very much!

erikverbeek

Level 9

It might also help you to have a look in the /var/log/apache2/ folder. That's where Apache logs incoming requests and generated errors. Those might give you a clue to which setting is currently misconfigured.

Level 15

Ok Guys, I have been working on this problem and I have quadrupled checked virtual hosts and hosts file. @erikverbeek looking at the apache error logs I am getting this error:

PHP Fatal error:  Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function env() in /var/www/contraxiq/public/index.php:8

Line 8 of the index.php file is: echo env('APP_ENV');'

My .env file is good, at least Intelj AI Assistant thinks so.

be advised I cloned this application code, from my MacBook/ valet where it works perfectly. Of course with a clone you don't bring down a .env file so this file was created specifically for this Ubuntu / Apache platform.

I created a small test site on my Ubuntu server with just some PHP and some html and it rendered fined.

any suggestions??

jlrdw

Level 75

@vincej you chowned the folders needed?

Level 50

@vincej Index.php is the entry point of the application. Nothing is yet loaded at that point, and that includes the env() helper function.

You shouldn't have any application logic in index.php. You should only touch that file if you want to change how the application is bootstrapped.

Level 15

@jlrdw yes, I have vince : www-data and 755 permissions.

I have a Laravel app running nicely on DigitalOcean. I even open that up and copied the virtual host and check the hosts file.

I also deleted Apache and reinstalled it.

I have tried everything. But a simple php file works fine. I also created a brand new vanilla L10 install just for testing purposes. Nothing with Laravel works. It looks like a Laravel problem Ugh.

@jussimannisto I don't have any logic running in index.php. This is a vanilla application which works perfectly on my MacBook.

Level 50

@vincej A vanilla app wouldn't have an env() call at the start of index.php because that would crash. That's what happened to you:

PHP Fatal error:  Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function env() in /var/www/contraxiq/public/index.php:8

Level 15

@JussiMannisto I have no idea how it got there. Do you recommend that I just delete it?

Level 50

@vincej Well yes. It doesn't belong there for sure.

But if you don't know how it got there, that's a bit concerning.

Level 15

@JussiMannisto I have been working on this for days using the intelij AI assistant in PHPStorm. What a waste of time that is! I am accessing the server which is remote on my lan and so I can not display a result on my MacBook browser. I did try http://local-ip/mysite but got nothing. More positive, I did manage to ping the site from my Macbook which is a first!

Level 50

@vincej If you use an IP address to access the site over LAN, Apache doesn't know which virtual host the request should be routed to. The requested hostname should match the ServerName (or ServerAlias) directive in your virtual host config.

You could try adding a wildcard ServerAlias to catch all traffic:

ServerAlias *

That is, unless you have configured other virtual hosts on the same port and this causes conflicts.

Level 15

@JussiMannisto I just went down to my home office ie the Ubuntu server / Apache and tried the Laravel app having deleted the function eval(). Nope - did not help. Still nothing. This is driving me crazy. I forgot to say that today I entirely purged Apache from my system as reinstalled it. Tomorrow I am going to delete the app from the system and reinstall an empty L10 just to see if I can get the welcome page! Ugh! I know my install is good as I used the DigitalOcean tut. I repeating myself. I can load a sample file with phpinfo() and it renders fine as too HTML. this has to be a Laravel issue, no?

Thanks for all your help!

Level 50

@vincej What happens exactly when you try to try to access the site? Does the request time out or do you get a server error? Do you see anything in your Apache logs or storage/laravel.log?

Level 15

@JussiMannisto When I access the site, I just a blank page with "can not access the site"> I've shut down the Ubuntu server now as I am in western Canada and it it 11:35PM. I'll have a look tomorrow. Cheers!