Apache Proxy Settings Can Disappear Inside IfModule
Check whether Apache actually loaded a conditional proxy configuration before changing an IP allowlist that may never have been applied.
If changing an Apache proxy allowlist has no effect, check whether its enclosing <IfModule> condition matches a loaded module. Apache skips a conditional block when the named module is absent.
<IfModule proxy_http_module>
<Proxy "*">
Require ip 192.0.2.25
</Proxy>
</IfModule>This is an access-rule fragment for an existing forward proxy. Replace the example client address; the listener, proxy role, and required modules must be configured separately.
As the IfModule documentation explains, the container checks a configuration condition. It does not load the module. With nested conditions, every enclosing condition must match for the access rule to apply.
Why startup may still succeed
Optional blocks help a configuration support several server builds. When a module is essential, silently skipping its settings can instead hide a missing feature. Decide whether that behavior fits the deployment.
Inspect the loaded modules and matching conditions, then check which listener and virtual host received the request, then verify both permitted and denied clients. A valid rule in another virtual host produces a similar symptom. The matching error-log entry is more useful than broadening an allowlist that may never have been applied.