diff --git a/nixos/modules/services/web-servers/apache-httpd/default.nix b/nixos/modules/services/web-servers/apache-httpd/default.nix
index 4460f89ec5c1..fd17e4b54f0f 100644
--- a/nixos/modules/services/web-servers/apache-httpd/default.nix
+++ b/nixos/modules/services/web-servers/apache-httpd/default.nix
@@ -629,6 +629,9 @@ in
 
     environment.systemPackages = [httpd];
 
+    # required for "apachectl configtest"
+    environment.etc."httpd/httpd.conf".source = httpdConf;
+
     services.httpd.phpOptions =
       ''
         ; Needed for PHP's mail() function.
diff --git a/pkgs/servers/http/apache-httpd/2.4.nix b/pkgs/servers/http/apache-httpd/2.4.nix
index d5da6df8d689..252365098ddc 100644
--- a/pkgs/servers/http/apache-httpd/2.4.nix
+++ b/pkgs/servers/http/apache-httpd/2.4.nix
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   prePatch = ''
     sed -i config.layout -e "s|installbuilddir:.*|installbuilddir: $dev/share/build|"
     sed -i support/apachectl.in -e 's|@LYNX_PATH@|${lynx}/bin/lynx|'
+    sed -i support/apachectl.in -e 's|$HTTPD -t|$HTTPD -t -f /etc/httpd/httpd.conf|'
   '';
 
   # Required for ‘pthread_cancel’.