InitSite - Automated Apache PHP Websites For Your Local Network Development Environment

InitSite is a bash script that allows you to easily create and manage ssl-enabled Apache websites with different php versions in your local network development environment.

Features

• Automated web site deployment/undeployment with ssl, multi-php version, local dns redirection support.
• Easily add or remove domain aliases.
• Manage DNS records for internal DNS and local DNS servers.
• Generate/renew/delete certificates for domain.
• Get all infos about:
  • Enabled sites on the server.
  • Domain redirections in internal and local dns server records.
  • Installed php versions on the server.
  • Assigned aliases for domains

An Example

initsite deploy mysite.home --alias "mysite.loc my.internal" --phpversion "8.3"

1. Creates the vhost for "mysite.home" with "mysite.loc" and "my.internal" aliases.
2. Generates and configures SSL certificates (Optional).
3. Sets the PHP version to 8.3 (Optional).
4. Updates DNS and internal host records.
5. Activates the site and tests HTTP/HTTPS requests (Optional).
6. Enables mysite.home website and tests http, https requests on the server.

For detailed usage information see Usage Examples on Wiki

Prerequisites

Before using InitSite, ensure that the following dependencies are installed:

• Apache (1)
• PHP (1)
• PHP-FPM for multi-php version usage. (2)
• DNS service (e.g., DNSMasq) for local domain redirections. (2)
• Mkcert for certificate generation. (2)

(1):Required for basic functionality (2):Optional but recommended for full feature set

See Notes for more information about dependencies.

Installation

Auto

Copy & paste code below to your terminal, hit enter.

src="https://api.github.com/repos/cihantuncer/initsite/releases/latest"; command -v curl &>/dev/null || { echo -e "\nError: 'curl' is not installed. Please install it and try again.\n"; exit 1; }; command -v tar &>/dev/null || { echo -e "\nError: 'tar' is not installed. Please install it and try again.\n"; exit 1; }; dURL=$(curl --silent $src | grep '"browser_download_url":' | sed -E 's/.*"([^"]+)".*/\1/'); fName=$(basename "$dURL"); curl --silent -k -L -o "$fName" "$dURL" && [ -f "$fName" ] && tar -xf "$fName" && sudo bash "./initsite/initsite.sh" setup || echo -e "\nInitSite script could not be downloaded.\n"

Manual

1. Download initsite.tar and extract initsite folder to a directory on your server.
2. Run chmod +x /path/to/initsite/initsite.sh command to make the script executable.
3. Run sudo ln -s /path/to/initsite/initsite.sh /usr/bin/initsite to run the script using just its name.

Commands

Command	Arguments	Description
deploy	domain.name	Deploys site.
undeploy	domain.name	Undeploys site.
alias		Shows aliases for all enabled sites.
alias add	"alias(es)" domain.name	Adds provided aliases to <domain.name>.
alias remove	"alias(es)" domain.name	Removes provided aliases from <domain.name>.
alias info	domain.name	Shows aliases for <domain.name>.
dns		Shows all internal, lan dns entries.
dns add	domain.name	Adds <domain.name> to internal, lan dns records.
dns remove	domain.name	Removes <domain.name> from internal, lan dns records.
dns internal		Shows all internal dns entries.
dns internal add	domain.name	Adds <domain.name> to internal dns records.
dns internal remove	domain.name	Removes <domain.name> from internal records.
dns lan		Shows all lan dns entries.
dns lan add	domain.name	Adds <domain.name> to lan dns records.
dns lan remove	domain.name	Removes <domain.name> from lan records.
cert		Shows all generated certificates for enabled sites.
cert renew	domain.name	Renews certificate for <domain.name>
cert create	domain.name	Generates certificate for <domain.name>
cert delete	domain.name	Deletes certificate for <domain.name>
php ver	domain.name	Shows current php version for <domain.name>
php ver	domain.name phpvers	Changes php version of <domain.name> to provided ver.
info		Gets information for all enabled sites.
help		Shows help.

Flags

Flag	Arguments	Description
-a, --alias	"alias1.name alias2.name"	Provides alias(es) for related processes.
-pv, --phpversion	php version e.g., "8.3"	Provides php version for related processes.
--log		Writes logs to a file in script path.
-h, --help		Get help for selected command.

Settings.conf

Detailed information about the predefined settings is available in the settings.conf file. Please read it carefully and change it according to your needs.

See settings.conf on Wiki

For detailed usage information, see Usage Examples on Wiki

Notes

About Local Domain Extensions

You can use any domain extensions for local dns entries, but most TLD extensions (such as .com, .net) may be refused by your browser, os or router for security reasons (See).

Also do not use ".local" extension, it's reserved for mDNS on most systems (See).

It's better to use extensions that aren't reserved by authorities. Fictitious domain extensions are the best.

About Dependencies

• Only Apache and PHP are required. The other components are optional, but if you don't install them, you won't be able to use the related features. However, it's recommended to install them.

• PHP-FPM is only necessary if you're managing multiple PHP version., This guide is quite helpful (following up to Step 4 is enough). The steps are similar for most distros and PHP versions.

• Mkcert can likely be installed easily from your distro's repositories. You can find detailed installation and setup instructions on the Mkcert GitHub page. Here's a quick summary:

  • Install mkcert.
  • Run sudo mkcert -install to generate the rootCA.pem and key files as root (since InitSite creates certificates as root).
  • Use sudo mkcert -CAROOT to find the rootCA.pem folder. It's usually located in /root/.local/share/mkcert.
  • Import the "rootCA.pem" file on all the devices you use in your local development environment. See this guide for more details.

• I use DNSmasq as the DNS server in my local network, but you can use any DNS server you prefer. The basic steps are:

  • Install a DNS server on a device in your local network (e.g., your router, Raspberry Pi, or PC—this could even be your web server). The DNS server should be accessible via SSH.
  • Set the local DNS server's IP address as the primary DNS for the devices in your development environment. The easiest way to do this is by changing the DNS settings on your local network router. This way, you won't have to change DNS settings on each device individually.
  • Adjust the DNS settings in the initsite/settings.conf file according to your network configuration.
  • For DNSmasq, this guide will be helpful.

TODO

New features are coming soon...