Apache2 & multiple java webapps via mod proxy possible?

[tfboy]

Bit of a strange one here, maybe someone can help?

I'm using both JIRA (bug tracking) and Confluence (wiki) applications from atlassian and I'm hosting them on my server.

Both of these apps are in fact java apps running on Tomcat.

Now because I want to run both behind the same server (differentiated by different URL paths) and because Tomcat runs on port 8080 by default and because I need it all accessible from default https (443), I've resorted to using Apache2 running on port 443 and using mod proxy.

Idea is the following:
User accesses https://foo.com/jira and this goes to Apache2. Apache2 then proxies to the Tomcat instance running JIRA on, say, port 8080.

At the same time, a user access https://foo.com/wiki and this goes to the same Apache2 instance. However, we now have a different virtualserver which would pick up the /wiki path and proxy redirect to the Tomcat instance running Confluence on port 8090

So we have:

https://foo.com/jira ===> http://localhost:8080/jira and
https://foo.com/wiki ===> http://localhost:8090/wiki

Now I've managed to get it workign with JIRA running on SSL and Confluence running on normal HTTP on port 80. But as soon as I try and have them both running on SSL, it all seems to fall apart.

I don't know whether I need to add a servername or something in apache? my site config files are:

For JIRA:

<Proxy *>
Order deny,allow
Allow from all
</Proxy>

<VirtualHost *:443>
    SSLEngine On
    SSLCertificateFile /etc/apache2/ssl/certs/jira.crt
    SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/apache2/ssl/private/jira.key
    SSLCertificateChainFile /etc/apache2/ssl/sf_bundle.crt
    ProxyRequests               Off
    ProxyPreserveHost   On
    ProxyPass                   /jira           http://foo.com:8080/jira
    ProxyPassReverse            /jira           http://foo.com:8080/jira
</VirtualHost>

And if for Confluence, I have:

<Proxy *>
Order deny,allow
Allow from all
</Proxy>

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ProxyRequests               Off
    ProxyPreserveHost   On
    ProxyPass                   /wiki           http://foo.com:8090/wiki
    ProxyPassReverse            /wiki           http://foo.com:8090/wiki
</VirtualHost>

Then it all works fine.

But if I change the Confluence one to:

<Proxy *>
Order deny,allow
Allow from all
</Proxy>

<VirtualHost *:443>
    SSLEngine On
    SSLCertificateFile /etc/apache2/ssl/certs/jira.crt
    SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/apache2/ssl/private/jira.key
    SSLCertificateChainFile /etc/apache2/ssl/sf_bundle.crt
    ProxyRequests               Off
    ProxyPreserveHost   On
    ProxyPass                   /wiki           http://foo.com:8090/wiki
    ProxyPassReverse            /wiki           http://foo.com:8090/wiki
</VirtualHost>

Then it all falls apart. Both Confluence and JIRA stop working all together.

I have edited the corresponding server.xml config files for Tomcat for both Jira and Confluence instances to reflect back to the correct port (80 or 443). So it's looking like an apache config problem rather than a Tomcat one.

Any apache gurus out there with an idea?

[kingpotnoodle]

You should check out mod_jk, it's more complicated but much more flexible.

http://tomcat.apache.org/connectors-doc/

[tfboy]

Thanks KPN

In fact, managed to fix it, and the solution was really simple I wonder why I didn't think of it first: just have one virtualhost but enumerate both ProxyPass and ProxyReverse in it and it's fine

I now have an issue with Confluence, but that one's proving to be harder to understand.....

[kingpotnoodle]

Thanks KPN

In fact, managed to fix it, and the solution was really simple I wonder why I didn't think of it first: just have one virtualhost but enumerate both ProxyPass and ProxyReverse in it and it's fine

I now have an issue with Confluence, but that one's proving to be harder to understand.....

Haha I should have spotted that! IIRC Virtualhosts are enumerated and selected in the order they appear, and the first match is used, you should always have a default <Virtualhost _default_:80> but then any after that need to contain a ServerName or ServerAlias to match a different hostname, or they need to be on a different port number, otherwise they'll never be used.

What you did putting them in the same virtual host is the way to go in your scenario. What's up with Confluence?

[tfboy]

Out of interest, do you know of a site or blog which details these examples clearly? The Apache official doc is very detailed but they don't provide examples to illustrate and I'm not savvy enough to understand it for sure without an example.

[kingpotnoodle]

Out of interest, do you know of a site or blog which details these examples clearly? The Apache official doc is very detailed but they don't provide examples to illustrate and I'm not savvy enough to understand it for sure without an example.

I get most of my Apache stuff just by googling what I want to do, but I guess you need to know enough about it to know what to search. I picked up Apache by reading other people's existing configs, the Apache docs (there are some examples, and make sure you read the right version docs) and just trial and error really... I guess I'm ~OK~ with it now, but not a guru.