The aim of this book is to provide a starting point for anyone needing to secure an Apache server. Each chapter deals with a different security issue before pointing the reader at a few good sites for further information. The author assumes a Unix-derived operating system but half of the book still remains useful to Windows.

The first chapter illustrates how this book differs from others. There is brief introduction to digital signatures and encryption before explaining how to verify the download has not been tampered with. Instead of just providing commands to install Apache, the author immediately delves into testing for problems including steps to remove vulnerabilities.

While the first chapter may follow a cookbook approach, the book aims to be more than just a simple set of recipes. It also explains how the server may get compromised, to look for suspicious behaviour in logs and web sites to visit to keep up-to-date with emerging security issues.

Given the responsibility of setting up an Apache based server, should you buy this book? It boils down to whether you can find all the information you need from the Internet or if you prefer a little helping hand along the way.