On an ubuntu server it is common to host site files in a directory with a structure like ‘/var/www/example.com’.
One might wish to separating a subdomain out from site files in another directory. Something like ‘/var/dev/example.com’.
How to fix or prevent a 403 error after adding a new site directory
To prevent a 403 error, remember to edit the /etc/apache2/apache2.conf file to allow this directory to be accessed from the outside world.
The /etc/apache2/apache2.conf file has a ‘Require all granted’ directive for the normal /var/www directory that looks like this:
<Directory /var/www/>
Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
AllowOverride None
Require all granted
<Directory>
Make a copy of this directory for the new directory that are creating and add it to the /etc/apache2/apache2.conf file.
<Directory "your directory here"> Order allow,deny Allow from all # New directive needed in Apache 2.4.3: Require all granted <Directory>
Once you have updated this file, remember to restart apache.
sudo service apache2 restart