Display and Restore File and Directory Security Contexts with SELinux

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Display and Restore File and Directory Security Contexts with SELinux

This hands-on lab allows you to practice troubleshooting and resolving SELinux filesystem context issues. Being able to discover and resolve SELinux context issues is a key concept when working with SELinux. At the end of this activity, you will understand how to view and apply new security contexts to files and directories.

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Lab Info

Level

Intermediate

Last updated

Aug 09, 2025

Duration

1h 0m

Challenge

Check the Directory and Index File Security Context
Compare the SELinux security context of /var/www/html to the /var/www/html/web-api directory to determine if the context of the new directory and its contents need to be adjusted:
- View the context of the html directory by running ls -Z /var/www.
- View the context of the web-api directory by running ls -Z /var/www/html/web-api.
Challenge

Restore the Appropriate Security Context to the API Directory
- Restore the context of the files and directories in the web /var/www/html directory by running sudo restorecon -R /var/www/html/web-api.
- View the updated context by running ls -Z /var/www/html/web-api.
- Verify that the update is working by running curl localhost/web-api/index.html.

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