Fixing WebSocket Proxy Configuration in Apache2

There are several issues in your Apache configuration that could be causing the WebSocket connection to return a 200 status instead of the expected 101 upgrade response. Here are the problems and solutions:

Key Issues

1. Conflicting proxy directives: You have multiple proxy configurations that may be interfering with each other
2. Incorrect ProxyRequests setting: This should be Off for reverse proxying
3. Path inconsistency: Your WebSocket paths don't match between configuration sections
4. Missing required modules: You need to ensure proper modules are enabled

Recommended Configuration

Here's a corrected configuration:

APACHECopied
ServerName <domain>

<IfModule mod_ssl.c>
    <VirtualHost _default_:443>
        ServerAdmin webmaster@localhost
        DocumentRoot /home/root/app

        ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
        CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined

        SSLEngine on
        SSLCertificateFile /etc/ssl/certs/ssl-cert-snakeoil.pem
        SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/ssl/private/ssl-cert-snakeoil.key
        
        # Make sure these modules are enabled
        # a2enmod proxy proxy_http proxy_wstunnel rewrite ssl headers

        # Proxy settings - must be OFF for security
        ProxyRequests Off
        ProxyPreserveHost On
        
        # WebSocket proxy configuration - use consistent path
        RewriteEngine On
        RewriteCond %{HTTP:Upgrade} websocket [NC]
        RewriteCond %{HTTP:Connection} upgrade [NC]
        RewriteRule ^/ws(.*) ws://127.0.0.1:8080/$1 [P,L]
        RewriteRule ^/wss(.*) wss://127.0.0.1:8080/$1 [P,L]
        
        # Regular HTTP traffic
        ProxyPass /ws/ !
        ProxyPass /wss/ !
        ProxyPass / http://<ip>:8000/
        ProxyPassReverse / http://<ip>:8000/
    </VirtualHost>
</IfModule>

Required Modules

Ensure these modules are enabled:

• proxy
• proxy_http
• proxy_wstunnel (critical for WebSocket support)
• rewrite
• ssl
• headers

You can enable them with:

BASHCopied
sudo a2enmod proxy proxy_http proxy_wstunnel rewrite ssl headers
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Additional Notes

1. Setting ProxyRequests On is a security risk as it turns Apache into an open proxy. Always use Off for reverse proxying.

2. The SetEnvIf and RequestHeader directives you were using are not necessary with the proper rewrite rules.

3. Make sure your WebSocket client is connecting to the correct path (/ws or /wss) that matches your configuration.

4. Check your backend WebSocket server (running on port 8080) to ensure it's properly handling the upgrade request.