Host Multiple Websites on One Server (Ubuntu 16.04–24.04) – Simple Setup

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Host Multiple Websites on a Single Ubuntu Droplet (16.04–24.04)

This guide shows you how to host multiple websites on one Ubuntu server (Droplet/VPS) using a LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL/MariaDB and PHP). It works for Ubuntu 16.04, 18.04, 20.04, 22.04 and 24.04.

I use this setup to run many WordPress sites on the same server — each with its own domain, document root, and database — without paying for separate hosting accounts per site. The key is using Apache virtual hosts and a tidy folder structure.

What you'll do in this guide
1) (Optionally) install a LAMP stack on your Ubuntu server
2) Create a separate web root for each domain
3) Create Apache virtual hosts per domain
4) Point DNS records at your server
5) Upload WordPress or static files for each site
6) Fix file permissions
7) (Optional) Add HTTPS with Let's Encrypt
8) Repeat the pattern for more sites

Step 0 – Install LAMP (per Ubuntu version)

If you already have Apache, MySQL/MariaDB and PHP installed and serving at least one site, you can skip this step. Otherwise, pick your Ubuntu version below and run each command line by line.

Ubuntu 16.04 – LAMP

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install apache2 mysql-server php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql unzip -y
sudo mysql_secure_installation
sudo systemctl enable apache2 mysql

Ubuntu 18.04 – LAMP

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2 mysql-server php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql unzip -y
sudo mysql_secure_installation

Ubuntu 20.04 – LAMP

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2 mysql-server php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql unzip -y
sudo mysql_secure_installation

Ubuntu 22.04 – LAMP

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2 mariadb-server php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql unzip -y
sudo mysql_secure_installation

Ubuntu 24.04 – LAMP

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2 mariadb-server php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql unzip -y
sudo mysql_secure_installation
After Step 0, you have a working LAMP stack ready to serve multiple sites.

Step 1 – Create folder structure per domain

For each website/domain, create a dedicated directory under /var/www. In this example we'll use example.com (replace with your domain):

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/example.com/public_html
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/example.com
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/example.com

Repeat for each domain you plan to host: secondsite.com, thirdsite.com, and so on.

Step 2 – Create Apache virtual host

Create a new Apache vhost file for your domain:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/example.com.conf

Paste this configuration (copy button will copy the whole block):


    ServerName example.com
    ServerAlias www.example.com

    DocumentRoot /var/www/example.com/public_html

    
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example.com-error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/example.com-access.log combined

Enable the site and reload Apache:

sudo a2ensite example.com.conf
sudo systemctl reload apache2
Repeat this for each domain: create a new folder under /var/www, a new *.conf vhost file, then enable the site and reload Apache.

Step 3 – Configure DNS for each domain

At your domain registrar or DNS provider, create an A record for each domain you want to host:

  • example.com → your-server-ip
  • www.example.com → your-server-ip (optional but recommended)

Once DNS propagates, visiting http://example.com will hit your droplet and Apache will choose the correct vhost.

Step 4 – Upload your site (WordPress or static)

Each site now has its own document root, for example: /var/www/example.com/public_html. Upload your site files there:

  • For WordPress: place WordPress files in public_html and follow your WordPress install guide.
  • For static sites: upload your HTML/CSS/JS to public_html.

Repeat for each domain using its own public_html folder.

Step 5 – Set permissions

Make sure Apache can read/write where needed:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/example.com
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/example.com

Do the same for each site directory you add.

Step 6 – (Optional) Add SSL with Let’s Encrypt

Once your sites are working over HTTP, you can secure each domain with free SSL certificates from Let's Encrypt. I have a separate guide that covers Ubuntu 16.04–24.04 and both Apache and Nginx:

How to Install Let's Encrypt SSL on Ubuntu (16.04–24.04) – Apache & Nginx Guide

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I use this exact multi-site on one droplet setup for many of my own sites, and DigitalOcean makes it easy to scale as you grow.

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