Managed PHP hosting with custom Apache modules

Posted on by Dora

In Jelastic 1.9.2 we’ve brought enhanced support for Apache & PHP to the table. Our latest Jelastic release now offers mod_security and mod_geoip – both modules are installed by default and ready to use as soon as your environment is created.

Managed_PHP_hosting

Apache is arguably the world’s most popular web server; in 2009 it became the first to serve over 100 million websites. Since then, it’s continued to gain momentum! As of June 2013, Apache was estimated to be serving 54.2% of all active websites globally, across all TLDs.

Apache & Jelastic… sitting in a tree

There’s a couple of reasons why Apache has become one of the world’s most popular web servers – simplicity and ease of use. The most difficult part of getting up and running with Apache is the installation – Jelastic takes care of that!

Apache’s modular architecture makes it incredibly easy for anyone to add or remove functionality to (or from) their server. In fact, most of the functionality that comes built into a standard Apache installation is in the form of modules and can be removed or replaced as required.

Jelastic provides full access to Apache’s configuration file, allowing you to enable or disable any Apache modules you want. This unprecedented flexibility is normally only available on unmanaged platforms, where you have to worry about all kinds of system admin work.

With Jelastic, you can fine tune your Apache config to create the ideal environment for running your application in the most optimal and efficient way – including running the optimal set of modules for your needs, whether that means adding extra functionality, or stripping away some unneeded modules to give your application a lightweight footprint.

mod_geoip locates your visitors

Mod_geoip is an Apache module that gives you the power to look up the geographic location of any given IP address – it’s really quite impressive! Use it to provide location-specific content to your visitors, redirect different localities to different pages, or simply pre-select the country field on your signup forms.

Jelastic now provides mod_geoip as standard on new Apache environments. You simply need to enable it as described in our KB article. You can also upload your own GeoIP database file if desired.

Secure your application with mod_security

Mod_security2 provides a robust web application firewall embedded into the web server, acting as a powerful umbrella – shielding applications from attacks. It offers intrusion detection and prevention for web applications and it aims to protect web applications from known and unknown attacks, such as SQL injection attacks, cross-site scripting, path traversal attacks, etc.

You can enable mod_security by following the instructions in our KB article. Jelastic also provides access to mod_security.conf, enabling you to define your own custom rules, if necessary.

Add your own modules

Jelastic enables you to use any custom Apache module, but it needs to be compiled on the appropriate system – contact our support team for assistance if you need any other Apache modules adding to your environment.

If you’re not already a Jelastic user, sign up for your free trial now!