What is a VirtualHost entry?

In the context of web servers, what is a VirtualHost,  and what is a VirtualHost entry?

In the context of web servers, a VirtualHost refers to the configuration setting that allows hosting multiple websites or domains on a single server by associating each website with its own set of configurations. It enables the server to differentiate between different websites based on the domain name or IP address requested by the client.

A VirtualHost entry, also known as a VirtualHost directive, is a configuration block or entry in the server configuration file that defines the settings for a specific virtual host. It specifies the domain name or IP address associated with the virtual host and defines various parameters and directives specific to that website.

Here's an example of a VirtualHost entry in the Apache web server configuration file (httpd.conf):

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/example
    ErrorLog /var/log/apache2/example-error.log
    CustomLog /var/log/apache2/example-access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

In this example, the VirtualHost entry defines a virtual host for the domain "example.com". The configuration directives within the VirtualHost block specify the document root directory where the website files are located (/var/www/example), the paths for error logs and access logs, and potentially other settings specific to that website.

VirtualHost entries allow the web server to serve different websites with separate configurations, allowing multiple domains or websites to be hosted on a single server. Each VirtualHost entry acts as a container for the settings specific to a particular website or domain, enabling the server to handle incoming requests and route them to the appropriate virtual host based on the requested domain name or IP address.