How to Uninstall Apache2 on Ubuntu Linux

Apache2 is one of the most popular web servers today, but its performance is heavier compared to the Nginx web server. Although this web server is easy to learn because all modules are installed together when Apache2 is installed, some users may want to switch to a lighter alternative.

If you are looking for how to uninstall Apache2 on Ubuntu, you are in the right article. In this tutorial, we will explain step by step how to remove Apache2 along with its configuration from your Ubuntu system. We will also discuss how to clean configuration files and related data to ensure a clean and thorough removal.

Let’s start by stopping the Apache2 service first, then proceed with the actual uninstall process.

Stop the Service

Before continuing with how to uninstall Apache2 on Ubuntu, the first step that must be done is stopping the Apache2 service. Stopping this service is very important because if Apache2 is still running, the uninstall process may encounter issues or not run properly.

Stopping the Apache2 service will essentially stop the Apache server, terminate all active connections, and shut down all related processes. This action will temporarily stop serving web pages or applications hosted by Apache until the service is started again.

There are several methods that can be used to stop the Apache2 service on Ubuntu:

1. For systemd-based systems (newer Ubuntu versions):

   sudo systemctl stop apache2
   

   or

   sudo systemctl stop apache2.service
   

2. For all Ubuntu systems:

   sudo service apache2 stop
   

3. Alternative method (older systems):

   sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 stop
   

After running one of the commands above, you can make sure that the Apache2 service has stopped by checking its status using the following command:

sudo systemctl status apache2

If the service has stopped correctly, the output will show the status message "inactive (dead)", which means Apache2 is no longer running and we are ready to proceed to the uninstall process.

Steps to Uninstall Apache2 on Ubuntu

After stopping the Apache2 service, we can continue with the actual uninstall process. Ubuntu provides two options to remove Apache2 from the system: "remove" and "purge". The "remove" option removes the Apache2 package but leaves configuration files, while "purge" removes everything including configuration files.

To completely remove Apache2, follow these steps:

1. Remove the Apache2 packages along with their components:

   sudo apt-get purge apache2*
   

2. Clean up dependencies that are no longer needed:

   sudo apt-get autoremove
   

3. Check whether Apache2 has been completely removed:

   which apache2
   

   If this command returns an empty output, it means Apache2 has been removed from the system.

4. Try starting the Apache2 service to confirm:

   sudo service apache2 start
   

   If the message "apache2: unrecognized service" appears, it means Apache2 has been completely removed.

It should be noted that the purge command will not automatically remove website files in the /var/www directory. 

However, configuration directories such as /etc/apache2 will be removed. Therefore, if you plan to reinstall Apache2 in the future and want to keep the configuration, use the "remove" option instead.

Cleaning Apache Configuration Files and Data

Even though we have used the purge command to remove Apache2, some configuration files and data may still remain on the system. To thoroughly clean the system of remaining Apache2 components, additional cleanup steps are required.

Below are the steps to clean up remaining Apache2 configuration files and data:

1. Remove any remaining Apache2 directories:

   sudo rm -rf /etc/apache2
   

2. Remove Apache2 log files:

   sudo rm -rf /var/log/apache2
   

3. Remove Apache2 libraries:

   sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/apache2
   

4. Remove Apache2 modules:

   sudo rm -rf /var/lib/apache2
   

5. Clean the system package cache:

   sudo apt clean && sudo apt autoclean
   

Keep in mind that if you are hosting websites on the Apache2 server, your website files are usually stored in the /var/www/html directory. The uninstall and cleanup commands above will not remove your website content. However, if you also want to remove the website content, use the following command:

sudo rm -rf /var/www/html

With these steps, your Ubuntu system will be completely clean from Apache2 along with all related configuration files and data. This process is especially important if you plan to reinstall Apache2 with a completely new configuration or if you want to switch to another web server such as Nginx.

Conclusion

That’s how to uninstall Apache2 on Ubuntu completely and thoroughly. After following all the steps explained above, your Ubuntu system should be clean from Apache2 along with all of its configurations. Basically, this uninstall process is very important if you intend to install another web server such as Nginx, which is lighter and more efficient.

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Keep in mind that the purge command will remove all Apache2 configuration files, but it will not delete your website content in the /var/www/html directory. Therefore, make sure to back up important files before performing this uninstall process.

In addition, the additional cleanup steps explained above are very important to ensure that no residual files are left on your system. This is especially useful if you plan to reinstall Apache2 with a completely new configuration or switch to an alternative web server.

Finally, make sure to recheck your system after the uninstall process to verify that Apache2 has truly been removed. This way, you can proceed with installing a new web server or optimizing your Ubuntu system according to your needs.