Example

mod_unixd Basic (required) security for Unix-family platforms. Base Group Group under which the server will answer requests Group unix-group Group #-1 server config Only valid in global server config since Apache 2.0

The Group directive sets the group under which the server will answer requests. In order to use this directive, the server must be run initially as root. If you start the server as a non-root user, it will fail to change to the specified group, and will instead continue to run as the group of the original user. Unix-group is one of:

A group name: Refers to the given group by name.
# followed by a group number.: Refers to a group by its number.

Example Group www-group

It is recommended that you set up a new group specifically for running the server. Some admins use user nobody, but this is not always possible or desirable.

Security

Don't set Group (or User) to root unless you know exactly what you are doing, and what the dangers are.

VHostGroup SuexecUserGroup User The userid under which the server will answer requests User unix-userid User #-1 server config Only valid in global server config since Apache 2.0

The User directive sets the user ID as which the server will answer requests. In order to use this directive, the server must be run initially as root. If you start the server as a non-root user, it will fail to change to the lesser privileged user, and will instead continue to run as that original user. If you do start the server as root, then it is normal for the parent process to remain running as root. Unix-userid is one of:

A username: Refers to the given user by name.
# followed by a user number.: Refers to a user by its number.

The user should have no privileges that result in it being able to access files that are not intended to be visible to the outside world, and similarly, the user should not be able to execute code that is not meant for HTTP requests. It is recommended that you set up a new user and group specifically for running the server. Some admins use user nobody, but this is not always desirable, since the nobody user can have other uses on the system.

Security

Don't set User (or Group) to root unless you know exactly what you are doing, and what the dangers are.

VHostUser SuexecUserGroup ChrootDir Directory for apache to run chroot(8) after startup. ChrootDir /path/to/directory none server config mod_unixd

This directive, available in httpd 2.2.9(?) and later, tells the server to chroot(8) to the specified directory after startup, but before accepting requests over the 'net.

Note that running the server under chroot is not simple, and requires additional setup, particularly if you are running scripts such as CGI or PHP. Please make sure you are properly familiar with the operation of chroot before attempting to use this feature.