2/6/25, 2:39 PM NGINX Virtual Host Configuration - Complete Guide

NGINX Virtual Host Configuration -

Complete Guide
Learn how to configure NGINX virtual hosts for efficient, secure, and high-performance website
hosting, with detailed steps

Table of Contents
1. Introduction to NGINX
2. Understanding Virtual Hosts
3. NGINX Installation and Basic Setup
4. Virtual Host Configuration Fundamentals
5. Server Blocks Configuration
6. Advanced Virtual Host Configurations
7. SSL/TLS Configuration
8. Troubleshooting and Common Issues
9. Best Practices and Security
10. Performance Optimization

Introduction to NGINX

NGINX (pronounced "engine-x") is a powerful, open-source web server that has gained
popularity for its high performance and efficiency. Originally developed by Igor Sysoev in
2004, it uses an event-driven, asynchronous architecture to handle a high volume of
connections simultaneously with minimal resource consumption. NGINX can also function as
a reverse proxy, load balancer, mail proxy, and HTTP cache.

Key Features of NGINX

Event-Driven Architecture: Uses an asynchronous approach to handle requests
efficiently.

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High Concurrency: Manages thousands of connections with a minimal memory

footprint.
Reverse Proxy and Load Balancer: Distributes incoming requests to multiple servers.
Static Content Serving: Efficiently serves static files like HTML, CSS, and images.
SSL/TLS Support: Provides secure communications.
WebSocket Support: Facilitates real-time web applications.
FastCGI and uWSGI Support: Interfaces with applications written in languages like
PHP and Python.

Understanding Virtual Hosts

Virtual hosting is a method that allows multiple websites to be hosted on a single physical
server. Each site can have its own configuration, domain name, and resources.

Types of Virtual Hosts

1. Name-Based Virtual Hosting
Explanation: Multiple domains share a single IP address. The server distinguishes
between domains using the Host header in the HTTP request.
Use Case: Common in most hosting environments.
2. IP-Based Virtual Hosting
Explanation: Each domain is associated with a unique IP address. The server
identifies the site to serve based on the IP address.
Use Case: Useful in specific scenarios, such as certain SSL/TLS configurations or
when using legacy systems.

NGINX Installation and Basic Setup

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Before configuring virtual hosts, you need to install and set up NGINX on your system.

Installation on Ubuntu/Debian

1. Update Package List:

sudo apt update

Explanation: Ensures that your system has the latest package information.

2. Install NGINX:

sudo apt install nginx

Explanation: Downloads and installs the NGINX package along with its
dependencies.

3. Verify Installation:

nginx -v

Explanation: Confirms that NGINX is installed and shows the installed version.

4. Start and Enable NGINX:

sudo systemctl start nginx

sudo systemctl enable nginx

Explanation: Starts NGINX and enables it to run automatically at system startup.

5. Check NGINX Status:

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sudo systemctl status nginx

Explanation: Displays the current status of the NGINX service.

Installation on CentOS/RHEL

1. Install EPEL Repository:

sudo yum install epel-release

Explanation: Adds the Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux (EPEL) repository,
which contains additional software packages, including NGINX.

2. Install NGINX:

sudo yum install nginx

Explanation: Installs NGINX using the yum package manager.

3. Start and Enable NGINX:

sudo systemctl start nginx

sudo systemctl enable nginx

Explanation: Initiates NGINX and ensures it starts on boot.

NGINX Directory Structure

Understanding the NGINX directory structure is crucial for efficient configuration

management.

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/etc/nginx/
├── nginx.conf # Main configuration file
├── conf.d/ # Directory for general configurations
├── sites-available/ # Stores individual site configuration files
├── sites-enabled/ # Symlinks to active site configurations
├── modules-enabled/ # Enabled NGINX modules
└── modules-available/ # Available NGINX modules

Explanation: The separation between sites-available and sites-enabled helps

manage active and inactive site configurations easily.

Virtual Host Configuration Fundamentals

Virtual hosts in NGINX are defined using server blocks. These blocks specify domain names,
document roots, and other settings.

Basic Configuration File Structure

1. Main NGINX Configuration File ( nginx.conf ):

http {
# Global settings
include mime.types; # Include file type mappings
default_type application/octet-stream;
sendfile on; # Optimize file transfers
keepalive_timeout 65; # Keep-alive timeout duration

# Include virtual host files

include /etc/nginx/conf.d/*.conf;
include /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/*;
}

Explanation: This is the core configuration structure where global settings and
virtual host files are included.

Creating Your First Virtual Host

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1. Create a New Virtual Host File:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com

Explanation: Opens a text editor to create a new configuration file for

example.com .

2. Add Basic Virtual Host Configuration:

server {
listen 80; # Listen on port 80 (HTTP)
server_name example.com www.example.com;# Define domain names
root /var/www/example.com; # Set the document root
index index.html index.htm; # Specify default index files

location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ =404; # Serve files or return 404 if n
}

# Logging
access_log /var/log/nginx/example.com.access.log;
error_log /var/log/nginx/example.com.error.log;
}

Explanation: Defines where the website files are located and how requests
should be handled.

3. Enable the Virtual Host:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Explanation: Creates a symbolic link to activate the configuration.

4. Test NGINX Configuration:

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sudo nginx -t

Explanation: Checks for syntax errors in the configuration files.

5. Reload NGINX:

sudo systemctl reload nginx

Explanation: Applies the new configuration without interrupting existing

connections.

Server Blocks Configuration

Setting Up Multiple Domains

To host multiple websites on the same server, configure multiple server blocks.

# Configuration for example.com

server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com www.example.com;
root /var/www/example.com;

location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
}

# PHP configuration for example.com

location ~ \.php$ {
include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock;
}
}

# Configuration for blog.example.com

server {
listen 80;

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server_name blog.example.com;
root /var/www/blog.example.com;

location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
}
}

Explanation: Defines two separate server blocks for example.com and

blog.example.com . Each block has its own root directory and settings.

Configuring Subdomains

Subdomains are treated as separate server blocks.

server {
listen 80;
server_name subdomain.example.com;
root /var/www/subdomain.example.com;

location / {
proxy_pass http://localhost:3000; # Forward requests to a backend s
proxy_http_version 1.1;
proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
}
}

Explanation: Useful for applications running on different ports or backends.

Advanced Virtual Host Configurations

URL Rewriting

URL rewriting can be used to redirect old URLs to new ones or create cleaner URLs.

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server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com;

location / {
rewrite ^/old-page$ /new-page permanent; # Permanent redirect
rewrite ^/blog/(\d{4})/(\d{2})/(.*)$ /blog/$3 last;
}

Explanation: The rewrite directive handles URL transformations.

Load Balancing

Load balancing distributes incoming requests across multiple servers.

upstream backend_servers {
least_conn; # Use least connections method
server backend1.example.com:8080;
server backend2.example.com:8080;
server backend3.example.com:8080 backup; # Backup server
}

server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com;

location / {
proxy_pass http://backend_servers; # Forward to backend servers
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
}
}

Explanation: The upstream block defines a group of backend servers. least_conn

distributes traffic to the server with the fewest connections.

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Caching

Caching improves performance by storing frequently accessed content.

http {
proxy_cache_path /var/cache/nginx levels=1:2 keys_zone=my_cache:10m max_size=

server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com;

location / {
proxy_cache my_cache;
proxy_cache_use_stale error timeout http_500 http_502 http_503 http_5
proxy_cache_valid 200 60m;
proxy_pass http://backend;
}
}
}

Explanation: Configures a caching zone to store and serve cached content.

SSL/TLS Configuration

Basic SSL Configuration

Secure your site with SSL/TLS encryption.

server {
listen 443 ssl;
server_name example.com;

ssl_certificate /etc/nginx/ssl/example.com.crt; # SSL certificate

ssl_certificate_key /etc/nginx/ssl/example.com.key; # SSL key

ssl_protocols TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3; # Only use secure pro

ssl_ciphers 'ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256:ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256';
ssl_prefer_server_ciphers on;

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add_header Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=31536000" always;
}

Explanation: Configures SSL/TLS with strong encryption and HSTS for security.

HTTP to HTTPS Redirect

Redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS.

server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com www.example.com;
return 301 https://$server_name$request_uri;
}

Explanation: Ensures all traffic is encrypted by redirecting to HTTPS.

Troubleshooting and Common Issues

Analyzing Logs

Logs provide insights into server behavior and help diagnose issues.

# View error logs

sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log

# View access logs

sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/access.log

Explanation: Use these commands to monitor NGINX logs in real-time.

Common Issues and Solutions

1. 502 Bad Gateway

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Cause: The backend server (e.g., PHP-FPM) is down or misconfigured.

Solution:

location ~ \.php$ {
fastcgi_buffers 16 16k;
fastcgi_buffer_size 32k;
}

Explanation: Adjusts buffer sizes to avoid communication issues.

2. 413 Request Entity Too Large

Cause: The client is trying to upload a file that exceeds the default limit.
Solution:

client_max_body_size 100M;

Explanation: Increases the maximum allowable upload size.

Best Practices and Security

Implementing Security Headers

Security headers help protect your site from various attacks.

server {
add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN" always;
add_header X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block" always;
add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" always;
add_header Referrer-Policy "no-referrer-when-downgrade" always;
add_header Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'" always;
}

Explanation: These headers prevent clickjacking, XSS, and other attacks.

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Rate Limiting

Rate limiting prevents abuse by controlling the number of requests from a client.

http {
limit_req_zone $binary_remote_addr zone=one:10m rate=1r/s;

server {
location /login {
limit_req zone=one burst=5;
}
}
}

Explanation: Limits requests to one per second with a burst allowance of five.

Performance Optimization

Enabling Gzip Compression

Compressing responses reduces bandwidth usage.

http {
gzip on;
gzip_vary on;
gzip_min_length 1000;
gzip_proxied expired no-cache no-store private auth;
gzip_types text/plain text/css text/xml application/json application/javascri
}

Explanation: Enables Gzip compression for specified content types.

Browser Caching

Leverage browser caching to improve performance.

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location ~* \.(jpg|jpeg|png|gif|ico|css|js)$ {
expires 30d;
add_header Cache-Control "public, no-transform";
}

Explanation: Sets cache expiration for static assets.

Optimizing Worker Processes

Configure worker processes based on your server's CPU cores.

worker_processes auto; # Automatically detects the number of CPU cores

events {
worker_connections 1024; # Number of simultaneous connections per worker
multi_accept on; # Accept multiple connections at once
}

Explanation: Ensures efficient handling of connections.

Conclusion

This guide has covered the essentials and advanced concepts of NGINX virtual host
configuration. You now understand how to:

Set up basic and advanced virtual host configurations

Implement SSL/TLS for secure communications
Troubleshoot common issues
Follow best practices for security and performance

Final Tips
1. Regularly Monitor Your Server: Keep an eye on logs and server performance.
2. Keep NGINX Updated: Install the latest security patches.

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3. Document Your Configurations: Maintain organized and well-documented

configuration files.
4. Optimize Based on Needs: Tailor configurations to your specific requirements.

NGINX is a highly flexible and robust tool that can be customized for various scenarios. For
advanced configurations and features, refer to the official NGINX documentation.

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