Virtual Hosts

Apache supports virtual hosts, which means that one instance of Apache can respond to requests directed to multiple IP addresses or hostnames as though it were multiple servers. Each IP address or hostname can then provide different content and be configured differently.

There are two types of virtual hosts: host-by-name and host-by-IP. Host-by-name relies on the FQDN the client uses in its request to Apache—for example, www.example.com versus www2.example.com. Host-by-IP examines the IP address the host resolves as and responds according to that match.