Not sure which to use? Reload is safer for live traffic; restart is definitive when config or state is wrong. This short guide explains the difference.
Reload
- Keeps existing connections open
- Applies config changes for new or updated workers
Restart
- Drops connections
- Fully resets server state
Use cases
- Reload for routine config changes (vhosts, minor tweaks)
- Restart when behavior doesn’t match config, or after larger module or MPM changes
FAQ
Apache won’t reload—what do I do?
Run sudo apachectl configtest and fix any errors. If reload still fails, see fixing Apache restart failures for a full flow.
Related
- Fixing Apache restart failures after config changes — when reload or restart fails