Remove /web From URL In Drupal 8 A Comprehensive Guide

July 8, 2025 by StackCamp Team 55 views

How to Remove /web from the URL in Drupal 8

Introduction

Having a clean and user-friendly URL is crucial for any website. In Drupal 8, if you've installed your site using Composer, you might encounter an issue where the /web directory appears in your site's URL. This can make the URL look less professional and can be confusing for visitors. In this comprehensive guide, we will discuss how to remove /web from the URL in your Drupal 8 site, ensuring a cleaner and more accessible web address. We'll explore various methods, including configuring your web server, adjusting your Drupal installation, and using redirection techniques. By implementing these steps, you can ensure that your Drupal 8 site's URL is clean, concise, and user-friendly, which is vital for both user experience and search engine optimization.

Understanding the Issue

When you install Drupal 8 using Composer, the recommended project structure places all the web-accessible files, including the index.php file, inside a /web directory. This is a security measure to isolate the core Drupal files from direct web access. However, this structure results in URLs like www.example.com/web, which is not ideal for user experience or branding. Removing /web from the URL requires reconfiguring your web server and Drupal installation to serve the site from the root directory. This involves making adjustments to your virtual host settings and potentially moving some files. Understanding the reason behind this structure and the implications of changing it is the first step in effectively resolving the issue.

Method 1: Configuring Your Web Server (Apache)

One of the most common and effective ways to remove /web from the URL is by configuring your web server. If you are using Apache, this involves modifying your virtual host settings. The virtual host configuration tells Apache how to handle requests for your domain. By pointing the document root directly to the /web directory, you can effectively remove /web from the URL. This method is generally preferred as it directly addresses the issue at the server level. Before making any changes, it's crucial to back up your existing virtual host configuration file to prevent any potential data loss. Here’s how you can do it:

Locate Your Virtual Host File: The location of your virtual host file depends on your server setup. It is commonly found in /etc/apache2/sites-available/ or /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf. The file is usually named after your domain, such as example.com.conf or 000-default.conf.
Edit the Virtual Host File: Open the file using a text editor with administrative privileges. For example, you can use the command sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/example.com.conf. You may have different configurations for HTTP and HTTPS, so ensure you edit the correct virtual host file.
Modify the DocumentRoot: Inside the virtual host configuration, look for the DocumentRoot directive. This directive specifies the directory from which Apache serves files. By default, it might be pointing to /var/www/html or a similar directory. Change the DocumentRoot to point to the /web directory within your Drupal installation. For example, if your Drupal installation is in /var/www/drupal, change the DocumentRoot to /var/www/drupal/web.
```
<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/drupal/web
    <Directory /var/www/drupal/web>
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>
```
In this example, ServerName is your domain name, and DocumentRoot points to the /web directory. The <Directory> block ensures that Apache has the necessary permissions to access the files within the /web directory. The AllowOverride All directive is crucial as it allows Drupal's .htaccess file to control URL rewriting and other configurations.
Enable the Site: If the virtual host file is not already enabled, you need to create a symbolic link to the sites-enabled directory. Use the command sudo a2ensite example.com.conf. If you have the default site enabled, it's a good practice to disable it with sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf to avoid conflicts.
Restart Apache: After making these changes, restart Apache for the changes to take effect. Use the command sudo systemctl restart apache2 or sudo service apache2 restart. This will ensure that Apache reloads the configuration files and starts serving your site from the new DocumentRoot.
Verify the Changes: After restarting Apache, visit your website in a browser. If everything is configured correctly, you should no longer see /web in the URL. If you encounter any issues, double-check the virtual host configuration and Apache error logs for any syntax errors or permission issues.

Configuring your web server in this way is a direct and efficient method to remove /web from the URL. It ensures that Apache serves your Drupal site from the correct directory, providing a cleaner and more professional URL structure. Remember to always back up your configuration files before making any changes and verify the changes after restarting Apache.

Method 2: Configuring Your Web Server (Nginx)

For those using Nginx as their web server, removing /web from the URL involves a similar process of modifying the server configuration. Nginx configurations are typically found in the /etc/nginx/sites-available/ directory. You'll need to adjust the root directive to point to the /web directory of your Drupal installation. This ensures that Nginx serves your site directly from the correct directory. Here’s a detailed guide on how to configure Nginx:

Locate Your Server Block: Nginx configurations are organized into server blocks, which are similar to virtual hosts in Apache. The server block for your domain is usually located in /etc/nginx/sites-available/. The file might be named after your domain, such as example.com, or it could be the default configuration file.
Edit the Server Block: Open the server block configuration file using a text editor with administrative privileges. For example, use the command sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com. Ensure you are editing the correct server block if you have multiple sites configured on your server.
Modify the root Directive: Inside the server block, look for the root directive. This directive specifies the directory from which Nginx serves files. By default, it might be pointing to /var/www/html or a similar directory. Change the root directive to point to the /web directory within your Drupal installation. For example, if your Drupal installation is in /var/www/drupal, change the root directive to /var/www/drupal/web.
```
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com;
    root /var/www/drupal/web;
    index index.php index.html index.htm;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock; # Adjust PHP version if necessary
    }

    location ~ /\.ht {
        deny all;
    }
}
```
In this example, server_name is your domain name, and root points to the /web directory. The index directive specifies the order in which Nginx should look for index files. The location / block uses the try_files directive to handle requests, passing them to index.php if necessary. The location ~ \.php$ block configures PHP processing, and the location ~ /\.ht block denies access to .htaccess files for security.
Enable the Site: If the server block file is not already enabled, you need to create a symbolic link to the sites-enabled directory. Use the command sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/. If you have the default site enabled, it's a good practice to remove it with sudo rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default to avoid conflicts.
Test the Configuration: Before restarting Nginx, it's crucial to test the configuration for any syntax errors. Use the command sudo nginx -t. This command checks the configuration files and reports any issues.
Restart Nginx: If the configuration test is successful, restart Nginx for the changes to take effect. Use the command sudo systemctl restart nginx or sudo service nginx restart. This will ensure that Nginx reloads the configuration files and starts serving your site from the new root directory.
Verify the Changes: After restarting Nginx, visit your website in a browser. If everything is configured correctly, you should no longer see /web in the URL. If you encounter any issues, double-check the server block configuration and Nginx error logs for any syntax errors or permission issues.

Configuring Nginx in this way is an efficient method to remove /web from the URL. It ensures that Nginx serves your Drupal site from the correct directory, providing a cleaner and more professional URL structure. Always back up your configuration files before making any changes and verify the configuration test and restart Nginx to apply the changes.

Method 3: Using a Redirection (cPanel)

If you have access to cPanel, you can use its redirection feature as a quick workaround to remove /web from the URL. This method redirects visitors from www.example.com/web to www.example.com. While it doesn't solve the underlying issue of the /web directory being in the URL, it provides a seamless experience for users. However, it’s generally recommended to use the server configuration methods described earlier for a more permanent solution. Here’s how to set up a redirection in cPanel:

Log in to cPanel: Access your cPanel account using the credentials provided by your hosting provider. The URL for cPanel is typically www.example.com/cpanel or a similar address.
Navigate to the Redirects Section: In the cPanel dashboard, look for the