# Certbot --apache has error on debian

**URL:** <https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/certbot-apache-has-error-on-debian/18375>\
**Category:** Server\
**Created:** [July 28, 2016, 12:37pm UTC](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/certbot-apache-has-error-on-debian/18375 "2016-07-28T12:37:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sbcds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@sbcds](https://community.letsencrypt.org/u/sbcds)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 12:37pm UTC](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/certbot-apache-has-error-on-debian/18375/1 "2016-07-28T12:37:57Z")

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Hi. I’ve been able to use apt-get to install python-certbot-apache, but when I run the certbot --apache command. I get the following error in the /var/logs/letsencrypt/letsencrypt.log:

```
2016-07-28 12:32:43,543:DEBUG:certbot.main:certbot version: 0.8.1
2016-07-28 12:32:43,543:DEBUG:certbot.main:Arguments: ['--apache']
2016-07-28 12:32:43,543:DEBUG:certbot.main:Discovered plugins: PluginsRegistry(PluginEntryPoint#apache,PluginEntryPoint#webroot,PluginEntryPoint#null,PluginEntryPoint#manual,PluginEntryPoint#standalone)
2016-07-28 12:32:43,548:DEBUG:certbot.plugins.selection:Requested authenticator apache and installer apache
2016-07-28 12:32:44,010:DEBUG:certbot.plugins.selection:Single candidate plugin: * apache
Description: Apache Web Server - Alpha
Interfaces: IAuthenticator, IInstaller, IPlugin
Entry point: apache = certbot_apache.configurator:ApacheConfigurator
Initialized: <certbot_apache.configurator.ApacheConfigurator object at 0x7f8826872490>
Prep: True
2016-07-28 12:32:44,011:DEBUG:certbot.plugins.selection:Selected authenticator <certbot_apache.configurator.ApacheConfigurator object at 0x7f8826872490> and installer <certbot_apache.configurator.ApacheConfigurator object at 0x7f8826872490>
2016-07-28 12:32:44,018:DEBUG:certbot.main:Exiting abnormally:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/certbot", line 9, in <module>
    load_entry_point('certbot==0.8.1', 'console_scripts', 'certbot')()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/certbot/main.py", line 744, in main
    return config.func(config, plugins)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/certbot/main.py", line 498, in run
    domains = _find_domains(config, installer)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/certbot/main.py", line 262, in _find_domains
    domains = display_ops.choose_names(installer)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/certbot/display/ops.py", line 112, in choose_names
    default=True)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/certbot/display/util.py", line 169, in yesno
    yes_label=yes_label, no_label=no_label)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/dialog.py", line 3749, in yesno
    kwargs)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/dialog.py", line 1765, in _widget_with_no_output
    widget_name, output))
PythonDialogBug
```

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**Author:** ![pfg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/letsencrypt/user_avatar/community.letsencrypt.org/pfg/32/1924_2.png) [@pfg](https://community.letsencrypt.org/u/pfg)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 1:38pm UTC](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/certbot-apache-has-error-on-debian/18375/2 "2016-07-28T13:38:50Z")

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Any chance you’re using a very small terminal window while running `certbot`? See for example this bug:  
[https://github.com/certbot/certbot/issues/2812](https://github.com/certbot/certbot/issues/2812)

If that’s not it, as a more general workaround, you could probably avoid running into any kind of PythonDialog issue by running `certbot` in text-only mode via `-t`.

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**Author:** ![sbcds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@sbcds](https://community.letsencrypt.org/u/sbcds)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 11:30pm UTC](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/certbot-apache-has-error-on-debian/18375/3 "2016-07-28T23:30:16Z")

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@pfg no, i’m using a standard 80x25 iTerm window on OSX.

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**Author:** ![sbcds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@sbcds](https://community.letsencrypt.org/u/sbcds)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 11:48pm UTC](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/certbot-apache-has-error-on-debian/18375/4 "2016-07-28T23:48:55Z")

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@pfg If it helps at all, here’s how to reproduce:

1. Spin up a [docker instance of wordpress through docker compose](https://docs.docker.com/compose/wordpress/)
2. Login to the docker instance of wordpress: `docker exec -it wordpress_wordpress_1 bash`
3. Add backports to sources.list (as [suggested](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/unable-to-install-certbot/17916/10) by @came88)
4. Install python-certbot-apache ([according to page](https://certbot.eff.org/#debianjessie-apache))
5. Execute `certbot --apache`

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/letsencrypt/original/3X/c/a/ca6c06ea1ea201324bba7048c6841ce60236468d.png) [@system](https://community.letsencrypt.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2016, 11:49pm UTC](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/certbot-apache-has-error-on-debian/18375/5 "2016-08-27T23:49:18Z")

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