Make XAMPP / Apache serve file outside of htdocs folder [closed]

Question

Is it possible to configure xampp to serve up a file outside of the htdocs directory?

For instance, say I have a file located as follows:

C:\projects\transitCalculator\trunk\TransitCalculator.php

and my xampp files are normally served out from:

C:\xampp\htdocs\

(because that's the default configuration) Is there some way to make Apache recognize and serve up my TransitCalculator.php file without moving it under htdocs? Preferably I'd like Apache to serve up/have access to the entire contents of the projects directory, and I don't want to move the projects directory under htdocs.

edit: edited to add Apache to the question title to make Q/A more "searchable"

Posada

The tags are supposed to be searchable enough, I think. – Gobo

Andrew Koper, I agree, but it is unsurprising with the level of heavy-handed unfriendliness endemic throughout the stack-exchange ecosphere at this point. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ – Posada

Maby off topic, but just want to tip: Some times an option is to instead move directories into your "htdocs" folder eg. if you would like to be able to open files in Google Drive in localhost ;) (#41751830) – Ululant

On ubuntu a sym link was all that was needed. ( brettclapper.wordpress.com/2012/07/06/… ) – Tomas

Apart from all the answers, I would like to add one. From PHP 5.4.0 onwards, you can move to your project root using the command line and execute php -S <host>:<port>. For example php -S localhost:80. – Tonguetied

Take in consideration change your host file with 1 ip on loopback, for eg: 127.0.0.1 localhost, 127.0.0.2 test.localhost, 127.0.0.3 test2.localhost – Fleurette

Answer 1

Ok, per pix0r's, Sparks' and Dave's answers it looks like there are three ways to do this:

---

Virtual Hosts

1. Open C:\xampp\apache\conf\extra\httpd-vhosts.conf.
2. Un-comment ~line 19 (NameVirtualHost *:80).

3. Add your virtual host (~line 36):

   <VirtualHost *:80>
       DocumentRoot C:\Projects\transitCalculator\trunk
       ServerName transitcalculator.localhost
       <Directory C:\Projects\transitCalculator\trunk>
           Order allow,deny
           Allow from all
       </Directory>
   </VirtualHost>
   

4. Open your hosts file (C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts).

5. Add

   127.0.0.1 transitcalculator.localhost #transitCalculator
   

   to the end of the file (before the Spybot - Search & Destroy stuff if you have that installed).

6. Save (You might have to save it to the desktop, change the permissions on the old hosts file (right click > properties), and copy the new one into the directory over the old one (or rename the old one) if you are using Vista and have trouble).
7. Restart Apache.

Now you can access that directory by browsing to http://transitcalculator.localhost/.

---

Make an Alias

1. Starting ~line 200 of your http.conf file, copy everything between <Directory "C:/xampp/htdocs"> and </Directory> (~line 232) and paste it immediately below with C:/xampp/htdocs replaced with your desired directory (in this case C:/Projects) to give your server the correct permissions for the new directory.

2. Find the <IfModule alias_module></IfModule> section (~line 300) and add

   Alias /transitCalculator "C:/Projects/transitCalculator/trunk"
   

   (or whatever is relevant to your desires) below the Alias comment block, inside the module tags.

---

Change your document root

1. Edit ~line 176 in C:\xampp\apache\conf\httpd.conf; change DocumentRoot "C:/xampp/htdocs" to #DocumentRoot "C:/Projects" (or whatever you want).

2. Edit ~line 203 to match your new location (in this case C:/Projects).

---

Notes:

• You have to use forward slashes "/" instead of back slashes "\".
• Don't include the trailing "/" at the end.
• restart your server.

Posada

On step (3) to edit the C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts. Best practise to run editor (Notepad, Notepad++ or any editor) as Administrator first. So you can save directly to the C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\ folder. – Rivkarivkah

For some reason it gives me "Access forbidden!", but when I change httpd.conf it works fine. Any idea why? – Response

it doesnt restart for me, the only one that works is the documentroot approach.. – Spermary

I couldn't get this to work (I too got "Access denied") until I moved the <Directory> section out of the <VirtualHost> section, thus making them sibling sections. Worth a try if you're still having problems. – Filiano

If you get 403 errors refer to this link – Madwort

I did not get the Alias solution to work but the DocumentRoot worked like a charm. (Note: Easiest is just to search all instances of "C:/xampp/htdocs" and replace because the linenumbers will vary between versions) Anyhow: +1 – Unopened

Using Order allow,deny Allow from all on Win7 returns 403 ERROR because this options are deprecated. Use Require all granted. #9110679 – Colemancolemanite

Just FYI, this step didn't appear to be necessary for me to do: Un-comment line 19 (NameVirtualHost *:80) – Catacomb

The virtual hosts solution still works in 2015 :) – Muncy

If you're using opendns, do you also get the "file in use" warning when attempting to save the hosts file? Can I create a symlink without disabling my dns? – Cembalo

Using Order allow,deny Allow from all didn't work for me, but Require all granted worked. – Uncanny

If you only change the documentroot in httpd.conf, it won't work if you have a virtual host for *:80, pointing elsewhere. So change the documentroot there too. – Mellen

Answer 2

You can relocate it by editing the DocumentRoot setting in XAMPP\apache\conf\httpd.conf.

It should currently be:

C:/xampp/htdocs

Change it to:

C:/projects/transitCalculator/trunk

Linskey

Don't forget to edit it in BOTH lines that ask for DocumentRoot. If you only change the top one, you'll get read-access errors etc. – Medievalist

this apply for XAMP mac as well ? – Pentode

now by which URL, can access index page? – Pasteup

Answer 3

A VirtualHost would also work for this and may work better for you as you can host several projects without the need for subdirectories. Here's how you do it:

httpd.conf (or extra\httpd-vhosts.conf relative to httpd.conf. Trailing slashes "\" might cause it not to work):

NameVirtualHost *:80
# ...
<VirtualHost *:80>  
    DocumentRoot C:\projects\transitCalculator\trunk\
    ServerName transitcalculator.localhost
    <Directory C:\projects\transitCalculator\trunk\>  
        Order allow,deny  
        Allow from all  
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost> 

HOSTS file (c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts usually):

# localhost entries
127.0.0.1 localhost transitcalculator.localhost

Now restart XAMPP and you should be able to access http://transitcalculator.localhost/ and it will map straight to that directory.

This can be helpful if you're trying to replicate a production environment where you're developing a site that will sit on the root of a domain name. You can, for example, point to files with absolute paths that will carry over to the server:

<img src="/images/logo.png" alt="My Logo" />

whereas in an environment using aliases or subdirectories, you'd need keep track of exactly where the "images" directory was relative to the current file.

Koreykorff

I have several network drives on my PC which have been mapped to drive letters (e.g. X:\myfolder). When I use this method I get an "Access Forbidden" warning. Does this mean the Apache user doesn't have read access to the drive? – Cystocele

Under Directory replace Order allow,deny and Allow from all with Require all granted. See #9110679 – Iron

Answer 4

You can set Apache to serve pages from anywhere with any restrictions but it's normally distributed in a more secure form.

Editing your apache files (http.conf is one of the more common names) will allow you to set any folder so it appears in your webroot.

EDIT:

alias myapp c:\myapp\

I've edited my answer to include the format for creating an alias in the http.conf file which is sort of like a shortcut in windows or a symlink under un*x where Apache 'pretends' a folder is in the webroot. This is probably going to be more useful to you in the long term.

Keldah

Answer 5

If you're trying to get XAMPP to use a network drive as your document root you have to use UNC paths in httpd.conf. XAMPP will not recognize your mapped network drives.

For example the following won't work, DocumentRoot "X:/webroot"

But this will, DocumentRoot "//192.168.10.100/webroot" (note the forward slashes, not back slashes)

Chiffonier

It works fine with my mapped network drive. – Atal

Answer 6

Solution to allow Apache 2 to host websites outside of htdocs:

Underneath the "DocumentRoot" directive in httpd.conf, you should see a directory block. Replace this directory block with:

<Directory />
    Options FollowSymLinks
    AllowOverride All
    Allow from all
</Directory> 

REMEMBER NOT TO USE THIS CONFIGURATION IN A REAL ENVIRONMENT

Confined

Works only for file systems supporting symlincs. No explanation why this option shouldn't be used. – Plaything