🖥️ How to Access a VirtualBox Ubuntu VM via SSH and Apache from Your Local Network

Setting up a Virtual Machine (VM) using VirtualBox is a powerful way to test servers or applications in an isolated environment. But what if you want to connect to that VM from your host machine or even other devices on your LAN via SSH or a browser?

In this guide, we’ll walk through the steps to:

• Connect to a VirtualBox VM using SSH

• Access a web page hosted in Apache2 inside the VM from any device on the same network

Let’s get started.

---

🧱 Basic Setup Overview

We’re using the following configuration:

• Host machine: Windows with VirtualBox

• Guest machine (VM): Ubuntu Desktop with Apache2 and SSH installed

• Network mode: NAT with port forwarding

• Goal:

  • SSH into the VM

  • Access an Apache2 web server from LAN devices

---

🔌 Step 1: Configure Port Forwarding in VirtualBox

Open VirtualBox and follow these steps:

1. Select your Ubuntu VM.

2. Go to Settings → Network → Adapter 1.

3. Ensure the adapter is set to NAT.

4. Click Advanced → Port Forwarding.

5. Add two rules:

Name	Protocol	Host IP	Host Port	Guest IP	Guest Port
SSH	TCP		2222		22
HTTP	TCP		8080		80

• Leave Host IP and Guest IP blank unless you want to restrict access.

• This setup allows:

  • SSH access to the VM at localhost:2222

  • Web access to Apache2 at localhost:8080

---

🔐 Step 2: Set Up SSH in the Ubuntu VM

Start the VM and install the SSH server if it’s not already installed:

bash
sudo apt update
sudo apt install openssh-server

Ensure it’s running:

bash
sudo systemctl status ssh

Output should indicate that ssh.service is active (running):

arduino
● ssh.service - OpenBSD Secure Shell server
     Active: active (running)

Check if it's listening on the correct port:

bash
sudo ss -tuln | grep :22

You should see:

markdown
tcp   LISTEN 0      4096     *:22      *:*

---

🌐 Step 3: Access the VM via SSH

Now, from your Windows host, open PowerShell or Command Prompt and run:

powershell
ssh vboxuser@localhost -p 2222

If you're accessing from another machine on the same LAN, use the host's IP address:

bash
ssh vboxuser@192.168.10.30 -p 2222

Replace vboxuser with your actual VM username and 192.168.10.30 with your Windows host's IP, which you can find by running:

powershell
ipconfig

Look for the IPv4 Address under your active network adapter.

---

🌍 Step 4: Install and Verify Apache2 on the VM

Inside the Ubuntu VM, install Apache2:

bash
sudo apt install apache2

Start and enable the service:

bash
sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo systemctl enable apache2

Verify that it’s running:

bash
sudo systemctl status apache2

Then, test it locally from the VM:

bash
curl http://localhost

You should see the HTML of the default Apache welcome page.

---

🔓 Step 5: Allow Apache Through the Firewall

If you’re using UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) in the VM, allow Apache traffic:

bash
sudo ufw allow 'Apache Full'
sudo ufw enable

---

🌐 Step 6: Access the Web Page from Any Device

▶ From the host machine:

Open a browser and go to:

arduino
http://localhost:8080

▶ From any machine on your LAN:

Use your Windows host’s local IP address, like:

cpp
http://192.168.10.30:8080

This works because of the port forwarding rule you created.

---

💡 Optional: Use Bridged Adapter for Direct LAN Access

If you prefer not to use port forwarding and want the VM to behave like a full device on the network:

1. Shut down the VM.

2. Go to Settings → Network → Adapter 1.

3. Change Attached to from NAT to Bridged Adapter.

4. Start the VM and find its new IP address:

   bash
   ip a
   

5. Access the web page directly using:

   cpp
   http://<VM-IP>
   

Now, you don’t need to forward ports—other devices on the same network can directly access the VM.

---

✅ Conclusion

By setting up SSH and Apache2 in a VirtualBox VM and using port forwarding or bridged networking, you can:

• SSH into your VM from your host or any LAN machine.

• Serve and access a web application from any browser on your network.

---

🧪 Test Commands Summary

Task	Command
SSH into VM	ssh vboxuser@localhost -p 2222
Install SSH	sudo apt install openssh-server
Start Apache	sudo systemctl start apache2
Allow Apache in firewall	sudo ufw allow 'Apache Full'
Access site from browser	http://localhost:8080 or http://<host-ip>:8080