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Intro

This is WinFeat, the free Apache web server tool from Fireseed.

What is WinFeat?

WinFeat is a free tool for Windows that allows you to easily generate virtual host files for Apache web servers without knowledge of coding or configuration files. It does this by asking simple questions that you answer by simply entering information into input fields, then using this information to generate a configuration (.conf) file that you can upload to your Apache web server using SCP (Secure Copy) or FTP (File Transfer Protocol). WinFeat is 100% accessible to people with little or no eyesight who use screen reading software such as NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access) or JAWS (Job Access With Speech).

Why the name?

The name "WinFeat" is an acronym meaning "Fireseed's Easy Apache Tool for Windows". FeatWin didn't sound quite right, so I chose WinFeat instead.

What is a V host file?

Picture this. You're the web master of a small business, charged with setting up 3 websites: the main website of your business, a download site for your company's software, and a forum site where clients can ask questions and find solutions to problems with your products and services. You have 2 choices. You can either buy, set up and maintain 3 separate servers (keep in mind you'll probably have 3 domain names as well) or set up a single server and have your 3 websites running on that server. If I were you, I'd choose option 2. V hosts, or virtual hosts, allow you to do just that. They allow you to effectively run multiple websites from one server, resulting in saved time, reduced costs and less stress. A big win win for all!

What version of Windows do I need to use WinFeat?

WinFeat supports the following Windows versions

How do I launch WinFeat?

If you're using the portable version of WinFeat, simply press Enter/Return or double-click on the WinFeat executable file (WinFeat.exe). If your Windows installation isn't set up to show file extensions, you will not see the .exe extension, so the filename will only show as "WinFeat". If you ran the WinFeat installer, look for WinFeat's desktop or start menu icon and either press Enter/Return or double-click on it. If you decided not to have icons created during installation, you will have to manually browse to where ever you installed the program and open the executable file. Once the program has been launched, you'll hear the startup sound, and the main menu will appear.

The main menu

After the startup sequence, a menu will appear with 5 options. Simply type the number relative to your desired option and press Enter/Return to select.

  1. Generate a V host file. This takes you to the V host menu, where you can generate one of two types of V host
    1. Normal V host. This will generate a standard, run-of-the-mill virtual host file.
    2. Secure V host. This option generates a virtual host file that is suitable for websites that use SSL (Secure Socket Layer)/TLS (Transport Layer Security) to encrypt data transfers.
  2. See the readme. This will open WinFeat's readme file (the file you're reading right now) in your default text editor (Notepad, Notepad++, EdSharp etc).
  3. Visit the developer's website. This option opens the developer's website in your default web browser (Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox etc)
  4. Find out your WinFeat version. This simply tells you the version of WinFeat you're currently using.
  5. Shut down WinFeat. This initiates WinFeat's shutdown sequence, which involves a nice shutdown sound being played, WinFeat's program and data files being taken out of memory and the user being returned to the wacky and wild world of Windows.

How do I generate a V host with WinFeat?

Depending on what type of V host you decided on, WinFeat will ask you the following questions as part of the V host generation procedure. Once you've answered a question, press Enter/Return to proceed to the next question.

Normal V host

Secure V Host

For a secure V host, WinFeat will ask you the same questions as it would for a normal V Host, along with the following additional questions

After all questions have been answered, WinFeat will proceed to create your V host file and save it to your desktop with your desired filename. Feel free to upload it to your server and restart Apache to activate the new V host. Note: on Ubuntu systems, the default location for virtual host files is /etc/apache2/sites-enabled. To have WinFeat generate another file, type a lowercase y at the retry prompt and press Enter/Return. Or, to go back to the main menu, type a lowercase n.

A note on secure V host filenames

When you generate a secure V host, WinFeat will add -secure to the end of your desired filename to indicate that it is a secure V host. For example, if you enter test into the filename input prompt, the file will be named test-secure.

How can I contact the developer?

I can be contacted in the following ways

Where can I download WinFeat?

You have 2 options for downloading WinFeat. Choose the option that best suits your needs.