Running unnecessary services on production servers is a security risk and wastes system resources. On a database server, having Apache HTTPD automatically start up serves no purpose and creates potential attack surfaces.

First, verify if Apache is actually running:

sudo systemctl status httpd

Or for older sysvinit systems:

service httpd status

For modern CentOS/RHEL 7 and above using systemd:

sudo systemctl disable httpd
sudo systemctl stop httpd

To verify it won't start on boot:

systemctl is-enabled httpd

For CentOS 6 or older systems using init scripts:

sudo chkconfig httpd off
sudo service httpd stop

Verify with:

chkconfig --list httpd

Deleting /etc/init.d/httpd isn't recommended because:

• Package updates might restore it
• You lose the ability to manually start/stop Apache when needed
• Other dependent services might expect it to exist

If you'll never need Apache on this server:

sudo yum remove httpd

Or to remove all Apache-related packages:

sudo yum remove 'httpd*'

After stopping Apache, verify ports 80 and 443 are free:

sudo netstat -tulnp | grep -E '80|443'

For maximum security on a database server:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --remove-service=http
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --remove-service=https
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Or for iptables:

sudo iptables -D INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -D INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j ACCEPT

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On a dedicated database server, every non-essential service consumes precious system resources. Apache running unnecessarily can:

• Waste memory (typically 50-150MB per process)
• Create unnecessary network exposure
• Consume CPU cycles during maintenance tasks
• Interfere with port binding if other services need port 80/443

First determine whether your CentOS uses systemd or SysV init:

# Check the init system
ps -p 1 -o comm=

For CentOS 7+, this will typically return "systemd". Older versions may show "init".

For modern CentOS installations (7+):

# Stop Apache immediately
sudo systemctl stop httpd

# Disable automatic startup
sudo systemctl disable httpd

# Verify status
sudo systemctl is-enabled httpd
# Should return "disabled"

For CentOS 6 or earlier:

# Stop Apache
sudo service httpd stop

# Disable auto-start
sudo chkconfig httpd off

# Verify
sudo chkconfig --list httpd
# All runlevels should show "off"

If you want to completely remove Apache (not just disable it):

# For yum-based systems:
sudo yum remove httpd

# For dnf-based systems (CentOS 8+):
sudo dnf remove httpd

After rebooting, verify Apache isn't running:

# Check running processes
ps aux | grep httpd

# Check listening ports
sudo netstat -tulnp | grep ':80\|:443'

Don't forget to:

• Check for residual cron jobs (grep -r httpd /etc/cron*)
• Remove Apache user if unused (userdel apache)
• Clean up configuration files (rm -rf /etc/httpd)