Many Apache administrators on CentOS encounter this frustrating scenario: while the main DocumentRoot (/var/www/html) serves content perfectly, any attempt to access subdirectories (localhost/test) results in a 403 Forbidden error. Let's thoroughly examine the complete solution set.

Before diving into Apache configurations, verify these essential server-level permissions:

# Check directory ownership
ls -ld /var/www/html/test

# Verify Apache user has execute permission on parent directories
namei -l /var/www/html/test

The default configuration often needs these critical adjustments:

<Directory "/var/www/html">
    Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
    AllowOverride All
    Require all granted
    # For Apache 2.2 compatibility:
    # Order allow,deny
    # Allow from all
</Directory>

On CentOS, SELinux often blocks access. Check and modify context:

# View current context
ls -Z /var/www/html

# Apply proper context
chcon -R -t httpd_sys_content_t /var/www/html/test
semanage fcontext -a -t httpd_sys_content_t "/var/www/html/test(/.*)?"

Here's a working configuration that addresses all potential issues:

# In /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf or separate vhost file
<VirtualHost *:80>
    DocumentRoot "/var/www/html"
    ServerName localhost
    
    <Directory "/var/www/html">
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
    
    # Specific subdirectory permissions
    <Directory "/var/www/html/test">
        Options +Indexes
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

# Then run these commands:
chmod 755 /var/www/html
chown -R apache:apache /var/www/html/test
restorecon -Rv /var/www/html
systemctl restart httpd

• Verify parent directory execute permissions (chmod 755)
• Check for correct ownership (apache:apache or www-data:www-data)
• Confirm SELinux isn't blocking access (audit2allow if needed)
• Ensure no conflicting .htaccess files exist
• Check error logs: tail -f /var/log/httpd/error_log

When working with Apache on CentOS, you might encounter a frustrating 403 Forbidden error when trying to access subdirectories under your DocumentRoot (/var/www/html in this case). While the root directory loads fine, attempting to access localhost/test fails with permission issues. Let's break down why this happens and how to properly configure Apache.

The original configuration shows two main Directory blocks:

<Directory />
    Options FollowSymLinks
    AllowOverride None
</Directory>

<Directory "/var/www/html">
    Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
    AllowOverride None
    Order allow,deny
    Allow from all
</Directory>

While this configuration allows access to the root directory, it doesn't properly handle subdirectories. The key issues are:

• Missing "ExecCGI" option if you need CGI scripts
• Potential SELinux context problems on CentOS
• Incorrect filesystem permissions

Here's a comprehensive configuration that solves the subdirectory access problem:

# Main configuration for /var/www/html
<Directory "/var/www/html">
    Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
    AllowOverride All
    Require all granted
    
    # Set default directory permissions
    <IfModule mod_access_compat.c>
        Order allow,deny
        Allow from all
    </IfModule>
</Directory>

# Additional security for system directories
<Directory />
    Options FollowSymLinks
    AllowOverride None
    Require all denied
</Directory>

On CentOS/RHEL systems, you should also verify:

# Check SELinux context
ls -Z /var/www/html

# If context is wrong, fix it with:
chcon -R -t httpd_sys_content_t /var/www/html

# Verify directory permissions
chmod -R 755 /var/www/html
chown -R apache:apache /var/www/html

After making changes, always:

1. Check syntax: apachectl configtest
2. Restart Apache: systemctl restart httpd
3. Check error logs: tail -f /var/log/httpd/error_log

If you need directory-specific rules, enable .htaccess:

<Directory "/var/www/html/test">
    AllowOverride All
    Options +Indexes
    Require all granted
</Directory>

Then create /var/www/html/test/.htaccess with:

Options +Indexes
DirectoryIndex index.php index.html