NGINX is a powerful and versatile web server that is widely used to serve static content, reverse proxy, and load balance across servers. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced user, having a cheatsheet handy can save time and help you navigate NGINX configurations efficiently. Let's dive into a quick reference guide for NGINX.

Installation and Basic Commands

Installation

sudoapt-get updatesudoapt-getinstallnginx

Start/Stop/Restart NGINX

sudoservice nginx startsudoservice nginx stopsudoservice nginx restart

Check NGINX Configuration

nginx-t

Configuration File Locations

• Main configuration file:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf
• Server block configuration:/etc/nginx/sites-available/
• Enabled server block symlink:/etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Server Blocks

Basic Server Block Structure

server{listen80;server_nameexample.comwww.example.com;location/{# Configuration for handling requests}}

Redirect HTTP to HTTPS

server{listen80;server_nameexample.comwww.example.com;return301https://$host$request_uri;}

Locations and Directives

Root Directive

location/{root/path/to/your/files;indexindex.html;}

Proxy Pass

location/app{proxy_passhttp://backend_server;proxy_set_headerHost$host;proxy_set_headerX-Real-IP$remote_addr;}

URL Rewriting

location/blog{rewrite^/blog/(.*)$/$1break;}

SSL Configuration

SSL Certificate

ssl_certificate/path/to/your/certificate.crt;ssl_certificate_key/path/to/your/private.key;

Enable SSL

server{listen443ssl;server_nameexample.com;# SSL configuration here}

SSL Redirect

server{listen80;server_nameexample.com;return301https://$host$request_uri;}

Load Balancing

Round Robin Load Balancing

upstreambackend{serverbackend1.example.com;serverbackend2.example.com;}server{location/{proxy_passhttp://backend;}}

This cheatsheet covers essential NGINX configurations, but remember to consult the official documentation for more in-depth details. NGINX's flexibility allows it to be used in various scenarios, making it a crucial tool for web server management.