Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-19

How to Fix ERROR 403 Error – HTTP ERROR 403 - every time I enable the #Include conf / extra / httpd-vhosts.conf line in httpd.conf. Any suggestion?

Apache HTTP Server configuration issue with SSL error 403.

Quick Answer: Check the httpd-vhosts.conf file for any syntax errors or incorrect directives, and ensure that the SSL module is enabled in the httpd.conf file.

HTTP Error 403 occurs when a user attempts to access a web page or resource that is restricted due to security restrictions. In this case, the issue arises from enabling the #Include conf/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf line in httpd.conf, which causes an error in the SSL configuration.

Enabling this line can be frustrating for users who are trying to set up their Apache server with PHP and MySQL. The error is usually caused by a misconfiguration of the VirtualHost container or missing dependencies required for SSL encryption.

💡 Why You Are Getting This Error

  • The primary reason for this error is that the SSLSessionCache directive is not properly configured in the httpd.conf file. This directive is used to cache SSL session data, and its absence can cause issues with SSL connections.
  • Another possible cause is that the VirtualHost container is not properly defined or contains missing dependencies required for SSL encryption.

✅ Best Solutions to Fix It

Enabling SSL through mod_ssl

  1. Step 1: Open the httpd.conf file in a text editor and add the following lines at the end of the file: DocumentRoot \\
  2. Step 2: Add the following line to define the ServerName for your domain: ServerName example.com
  3. Step 3: Save the changes and restart the Apache server. This will enable SSL encryption for your website.

Checking VirtualHost container configuration

  1. Step 1: Open the httpd-vhosts.conf file in a text editor and verify that it contains the correct VirtualHost container definition.
  2. Step 2: Check if the ServerName directive is properly defined for your domain. If not, add it to the VirtualHost container.

🎯 Final Words

To resolve this issue, you can try enabling SSL through mod_ssl or checking the VirtualHost container configuration. If you are still experiencing issues, refer to the Apache documentation for further assistance.

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