To configure the HTTP2 protocol on Apache you’ll need to use the mod\_http2 module. Here’s how you can do it:
Assumptions:
This guide assumes that you’re running Apache v2.4.17 or later as older versions do not support the HTTP2 protocol. It also assumes that you’re running a Unix-based system like Linux or MacOS.
Step 1: Enable Mod\_http2
Firstly, you’ll need to enable mod\_http2 in Apache. This module is typically included by default in Apache installations after v2.4.17. Use the following command:
```
sudo a2enmod http2
```
If you use Apache without a package manager, you might need to compile it with the —enable-http2 option.
Step 2: Configure your Virtual Host
Next, you need to add the ‘Protocols’ directive to your VirtualHost configuration for the hosts that you want to enable HTTP2 for. Open the configuration file using a text editor. Here is an example using ‘nano’:
```
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/your-site.conf
```
Then, add the following line inside your `
```
Protocols h2 http/1.1
```
This tells Apache to use HTTP2 as the primary protocol and fall back to HTTP/1.1 if it’s not supported.
Remember that HTTP2 only works with SSL/TLS connections, so you need to setup SSL with ‘SSLEngine on’ directive or use ‘HTTPS’ in a `
Step 3: Test your configuration
After saving and closing the text editor, test your configuration to make sure there are no syntax errors.
```
sudo apachectl configtest
```
And restart Apache:
```
sudo systemctl restart apache2
```
Step 4: Verify HTTP2 is enabled
Finally, you can verify whether HTTP2 is enabled. The simplest way to do this is through command-line tools like CURL:
```
curl -I -k —http2 https://yourwebsite.com
```
The ‘-I’ option sends a HEAD request, and the ‘—http2’ option tells CURL to use HTTP2. If everything is working correctly, you should see a line in the output that says ‘HTTP/2 200’.
That’s it! You have now enabled the HTTP2 protocol in Apache. This should help improve the speed and efficiency of the connections to your website.
