Website on Plesk for Linux server with Apache 2.4 does not work with Apache 2.2 syntax in file .htaccess: client denied by server configuration

Symptoms

• Apache 2.4 is installed on a Plesk for Linux server:

  Checking in Plesk interface

  In Plesk in Tools & Settings > Server Components, the Apache version is shown as 2.4:

  

  Checking in CLI

  • For RHEL-based operating systems (CentOS, RHEL, CloudLinux):

    # rpm -qa | grep httpd
    httpd-2.4.6-80.el7.centos.x86_64

  • For Debian and Ubuntu:

    # dpkg -l | grep apache2
    ii apache2 2.4.18-2ubuntu3.8 amd64 Apache HTTP Server

• The word Order can be found in the file /var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs/.htaccess when opening it in Plesk in Domains > example.com > File Manager.

  In the server shell, the output of the following command is not empty:

  # grep Order /var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs/.htaccess

• The following error can be found in the domain's error log - either in Plesk in Domains > example.com > Logs or directly on the server in the file /var/www/vhosts/example.com/logs/error_log :

  [access_compat:error] [pid 13317:tid 140073563543296] [client 203.0.113.2:51234] AH01797: client denied by server configuration: /var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs/

• 403 error, apache default page or just a blank page can be shown on a website.

Cause

Apache 2.4 is installed on the server, but the file .htaccess contains authorization and authentication entries with syntax from the 2.2 version.

Resolution

Note: This article is intended for use by server administrators. In case there is no administrative access to the Plesk interface or administrative SSH access to the server, contact the server administrator or server provider.

Note: See all possible collisions between Apache 2.2 and 2.4 configuration syntax in Apache official documentation.

Additional Information

Apache HTTP Server Version 2.4 Documentation - Upgrading to 2.4 from 2.2

Website is not accessible: 403 Forbidden AH01797: client denied by server configuration