Enable_HTTPS_using

Detailed steps for enabling HTTPS with Certbot¶

🔐 Enabling HTTPS on an AWS-Hosted Website with Docker and Apache2

Date: 2025 May 27
Author: János Rostás & ChatGPT
Topic: Enable HTTPS using Let's Encrypt and Certbot for a Docker-hosted Apache2 web server on Ubuntu (AWS EC2).

📋 Overview¶

In this guide, we will enable HTTPS (SSL/TLS encryption) for your personal website hosted on an AWS EC2 instance using Docker with Apache2. We’ll use Certbot to obtain a free SSL certificate.

🚧 Prerequisites¶

A domain name pointing to your EC2 public IP.
Port 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS) open in the EC2 security group.
Docker and Apache2 running inside a container.
The website is accessible via http://your-domain.com.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Instructions¶

🧰 Step 1: Install Certbot on the Host Machine¶

📦 We are installing Certbot on the host Ubuntu system, not inside the Docker container.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install certbot

🏗️ Step 2: Temporarily Stop Apache in Docker¶

To allow Certbot to bind to port 80 and verify your domain:

sudo docker stop apache-server

🔐 Step 3: Obtain the SSL Certificate¶

Run Certbot in standalone mode:

sudo certbot certonly --standalone -d your-domain.com

Replace your-domain.com with your actual domain name.

If successful, the certificate and key will be located in:

/etc/letsencrypt/live/your-domain.com/fullchain.pem
/etc/letsencrypt/live/your-domain.com/privkey.pem

📂 Step 4: Copy SSL Certificates into the Docker Container¶

Create a directory to share certs between the host and the container:

sudo mkdir -p /home/ubuntu/docker-certs
sudo cp /etc/letsencrypt/live/your-domain.com/fullchain.pem /home/ubuntu/docker-certs/
sudo cp /etc/letsencrypt/live/your-domain.com/privkey.pem /home/ubuntu/docker-certs/

🐳 Step 5: Re-run Apache Docker Container with Volume Mount¶

🧼 Option 1: Remove the existing container

If you don’t need the old container anymore:

sudo docker rm apache-server

Then you can run your new container and update your Docker run command to mount the certs:

sudo docker run -dit \
  --name apache-server \
  -p 80:80 \
  -p 443:443 \
  -v /home/ubuntu/website/iPortfolio:/usr/local/apache2/htdocs/ \
  -v /home/ubuntu/docker-certs:/usr/local/apache2/conf/certs \
  httpd

✅ Explanation:
Option # Description
-dit # Run in detached mode with interactive terminal
--name apache-server # Give the container a name
-p 80:80 # Map HTTP port
-p 443:443 # Map HTTPS port
-v /home/ubuntu/website/iPortfolio:/usr/local/apache2/htdocs/# Mount your website files
-v /home/ubuntu/docker-certs:/usr/local/apache2/conf/certs # Mount your TLS certificates
httpd # Use the Apache Docker image

⚙️ Step 6: Configure Apache to Use SSL¶

Enter the container:

sudo docker exec -it apache-server bash

Edit the Apache config: Inside the container, navigate to the config directory:

cd /usr/local/apache2/conf

Enable SSL:
Install nano apt-get update && apt-get install nano
Edit or create extra/httpd-ssl.conf to look like:

Listen 443
<VirtualHost *:443>
    DocumentRoot "/usr/local/apache2/htdocs"
    ServerName your-domain.com

    SSLEngine on
    SSLCertificateFile "/usr/local/apache2/conf/certs/fullchain.pem"
    SSLCertificateKeyFile "/usr/local/apache2/conf/certs/privkey.pem"
</VirtualHost>

Include SSL config in httpd.conf: Open httpd.conf and uncomment or add:

Include conf/extra/httpd-ssl.conf
LoadModule ssl_module modules/mod_ssl.so
LoadModule socache_shmcb_module modules/mod_socache_shmcb.so

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName janosrostas.co.uk
    ServerAlias www.janosrostas.co.uk

    Redirect permanent / https://janosrostas.co.uk/
</VirtualHost>

Restart the container (from host):

sudo docker restart apache-server

🧪 Test Your HTTPS Site¶

Open a browser and visit: 🔗 https://your-domain.com

If everything is set up correctly, you'll see the secure lock icon 🔒.

🔁 Bonus: Auto-Renewal¶

Let’s Encrypt certs expire in 90 days. Set up a cron job on the host:

sudo crontab -e

Add:

0 0 * * 0 certbot renew --pre-hook "docker stop apache-server" --post-hook "docker start apache-server"

This will renew the cert every Sunday at midnight.

✅ Summary¶

You've now enabled secure HTTPS on your AWS-hosted personal website running Apache2 inside a Docker container. This improves trust, privacy, and SEO.

JanosRostas.co.uk

Happy hosting! 🎉

Docker