# Configure Apache proxy with Let's Encrypt

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/configure-apache-proxy-with-lets-encrypt/46139
**Category:** Sysadmins
**Tags:** how-to, advanced-setup
**Created:** [June 21, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/configure-apache-proxy-with-lets-encrypt/46139 "2016-06-21T18:06:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![tarek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/tarek/32/124831_2.png) [@tarek](https://meta.discourse.org/u/tarek)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/configure-apache-proxy-with-lets-encrypt/46139/1 "2016-06-21T18:06:35Z")

</div>

> ⚠ Using Apache as a proxy is not recommended as Apache Httpd uses thread-per-connection model, and will likely run out of threads very fast as Discourse uses long polling. ([related](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/14157515/will-apache-2s-mod-proxy-wait-and-occupy-a-worker-when-long-polling)).

The goal of this post is to help you set up Let’s Encrypt with Apache SSL. It assumes that you have already properly configured Discourse.

# Configuration notes

**Do not** enable `web.ssl.template.yml` and `web.letsencrypt.ssl.template.yml`. You only need one of your servers to present a certificate, and that should be your Apache server.

# Configure your apache virtualhost

Keep only one virtualhost per file. Configure as per usual. Really, this step doesn’t matter much.

# Get your _Let’s Encrypt_ certificate

Get your certificate with `certbot` from Let’s Encrypt:

`certbot --apache -d forum.example.org`

# Modify the Apache files

You should have two files that are enabled: `forum.example.org.conf` and `forum.example.org-le-ssl.conf`. Make them the following:

forum.example.org.conf:

```apache
<VirtualHost x.x.x.x:80>
ServerName forum.example.org
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
RewriteRule ^/?(.*) https://%{SERVER_NAME}/$1 [R,L]
RewriteCond %{SERVER_NAME} =forum.example.org
RewriteRule ^ https://%{SERVER_NAME}%{REQUEST_URI} [END,QSA,R=permanent]
</VirtualHost>

```

forum.example.org-le-ssl.conf:

```apache
<VirtualHost x.x.x.x:443>
ServerName forum.example.org
RewriteEngine On

SSLEngine On
SSLCertificateFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/forum.example.org/fullchain.pem
SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/forum.example.org/privkey.pem
Include /etc/letsencrypt/options-ssl-apache.conf

ProxyPreserveHost On
ProxyRequests Off
ProxyPass / http://127.0.0.1:4578/
ProxyPassReverse / http://127.0.0.1:4578/

</VirtualHost>

```

# Done

This should work. Good luck!