What Are Apache and Plesk?
Apache is one of the most widely used open-source web servers in the world, powering millions of websites. Plesk, on the other hand, is a popular web hosting control panel that simplifies server and site management – especially for small businesses, developers, and digital agencies.
At Kha Creation, many of our clients in Antioch, California, and throughout the Bay Area rely on Plesk running on Ubuntu for fast, secure, and affordable web hosting. That’s why this latest issue is so important to understand.
Recently, a number of websites hosted on Plesk with Ubuntu 22.04 became inaccessible following an Apache update. This update triggered a misconfiguration that results in a common error message:
421 Misdirected Request
In this blog post, we’ll break down what caused the issue, who it affects, how to fix it, and what businesses in Antioch and the Bay Area can do to prevent future downtime related to platform updates.
What’s Happening?
After a recent Apache update (version 2.4.52-1ubuntu4.10), many Plesk users began to notice that their websites were no longer loading properly. This is especially problematic for production environments where uptime is critical.
The root of the issue lies in how Apache is now strictly enforcing hostname checking, which leads to misdirected request errors in environments with multiple domains or subdomains managed via Plesk.
Who Is Affected?
- Web servers using Plesk on Ubuntu 22.04
- Sites hosted with Apache as the web server
- Multi-domain setups or those using SSL certificates with SNI (Server Name Indication)
The Error Message: 421 Misdirected Request
This status code typically indicates that the server received a request that was directed to the wrong virtual host, often due to SSL/TLS misconfiguration or misalignment between the SNI and the VirtualHost configuration.
Plesk’s Recommended Fix
Plesk has provided two workarounds depending on your setup. The most common solution is to disable HTTP/2, which seems to be causing the conflict:
Option 1: Disable HTTP/2
- Connect to your server via SSH.
- Run the following command to disable HTTP/2 for Apache:
plesk bin apache2_pref –disable-http2 - Restart Apache:
systemctl restart apache2
Disabling HTTP/2 resolves the issue in most cases by reverting to an older, more compatible protocol version.
Option 2: Modify Apache Configuration (Advanced)
If disabling HTTP/2 is not desirable (e.g., you rely on its performance features), Plesk’s support also outlines a method to add the Protocols h2 h2c http/1.1 directive manually in each affected domain’s Apache config, but this requires advanced knowledge and caution.
Kha Creation’s Take: How to Prevent Issues Like This
We always recommend:
- Regular monitoring of server updates before applying them, especially in production.
- Backup snapshots before major updates to Apache, PHP, or OS components.
- Consider using a staging environment to test updates before rolling them out.
- Choose hosting environments that allow greater control (e.g., root SSH access) so you can troubleshoot and resolve issues like this quickly.
Need Help Fixing This?
If your website is hosted via Plesk on Ubuntu 22.04 and is down because of this issue – or if you just want peace of mind – our team at Kha Creation is here to help. Whether it’s a quick fix or a long-term maintenance strategy, we’ve got you covered.
Email us at: rohan@khacreation.com
Visit: www.khacreation.com
Conclusion
The recent Apache update is a clear reminder of how tightly coupled software systems are, and how important it is to stay on top of changes that could impact your live websites. Take this opportunity to review your server maintenance practices – and don’t hesitate to call in experts when needed.
