Enable Apache2 Site with a2ensite and specify priority

Question

How to specify priority (site name prefix of symlink in /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/) with a2ensite?

Answer 1

You cannot achieve what you are attempting to do with a2ensite, as that tool contains special logic to identify when the default site is being enabled, so that it names the symlink 000-default. This is documented in the man page.

Nevertheless, a2ensite is really just a glorified wrapper which creates symlinks in the appropriate location. Therefore, there is nothing to prevent you either:

• renaming the symlink after a2ensite has added it, to add the priority prefix number to specify the site load order
• create the symlink yourself in the first instance, without using a2ensite, using a command to the effect of ln -s /etc/apache2/sites-available/<site> /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/nnn-<site>, where nnn is the priority you wish to set. Just remember to reload Apache after having done so
• modifying the source code, although bear in mind this will give you a version of a2ensite which is out-of-line with other iterations in the main source tree, which could cause future upgrade difficulties (unless you get your changes merged upstream)

Answer 2

Unfortunately there is no such a possibility.
You need either to rename a symlink after a2ensite or to name your files in sites-enabled with priority prefixes.

a2ensite source code:

sub doit {
my $acton = shift;    
my $prio = "";
if ( $obj eq 'site' && $acton eq 'default' ) {
    $prio = '000-';
}

$prio is not modified anywhere else. You may modify the source code though. Not a good idea, but you can start with such a patch:

@@ -116,6 +116,13 @@
         $prio = '000-';
     }

+    if ( $obj eq 'site' )
+    {
+       print "Enter priority: ";
+       $prio = <STDIN>;
+       chomp $prio;
+       $prio .= '-';
+    }
     my ( $conftgt, $conflink );
     if ( $obj eq 'module' ) {
         if ( $acton eq 'cgi' && threaded() ) {

You'll need to enter priority manually both when enable and disable a site.