How to Set Up a Web Server with Nginx on Debian

Edited 3 weeks ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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Nginx is a widely used web server software known for its high performance, stability, low resource consumption, and simple configuration. In this detailed guide, we will see how to set up a web server with Nginx on Debian operating system. Before we dive into the steps, it is essential to understand what Nginx is and why it is beneficial for web server configuration.

Understanding Nginx

Nginx (pronounced as "engine-x") is an open-source software for web serving, reverse proxying, caching, load balancing, media streaming, and more. It started as a project to address the C10k problem - handling ten thousand connections at once. Today, Nginx is popular for its performance and efficiency in managing high loads. It can act as a reverse proxy server for HTTP, HTTPS, SMTP, POP3, and IMAP protocols, a load balancer, and an HTTP cache, among other uses. Being open-source, it is free to use and is constantly being improved by global contributors.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following things:

• Server running Debian. You can choose either Debian 10 or Debian 11 distribution.
• Access to the server as a user with sudo privileges.
• Basic understanding of using the command line.

Once you have these prerequisites met, you can proceed to install and configure Nginx on your Debian server.

Step 1: Update your server

The first step is to make sure your server is up to date with the latest packages. An updated system reduces incompatibility issues and enhances security. Use the following command to update your server:

sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade

apt update command refreshes the list of packages and their available versions. apt upgrade command upgrades older packages with newer versions.

Step 2: Install Nginx

Debian's APT package manager makes it easy to install software packages such as Nginx. Execute the following command to install Nginx:

sudo apt install nginx

This command will get and install the Nginx package and its dependencies. Once the installation is complete, Nginx will start running automatically.

Step 3: Verify Nginx installation

Once Nginx is installed, it is necessary to verify its installation and ensure that it is running correctly. Use the following command to check the status of Nginx:

sudo systemctl status nginx

The expected output shows that Nginx is active and running. If you want to start or stop the Nginx service, you can use:

sudo systemctl start nginx sudo systemctl stop nginx

Accessing Nginx

After confirming that Nginx is running, open a web browser and look for your server's IP address. If you don't know your server's IP address, you can find it out like this:

hostname -I

When you enter your server's IP address in the browser's address bar, you should see the default Nginx welcome page. This verifies that Nginx is rendering web pages correctly.

Step 4: Configuring the firewall

On Debian systems, UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) is commonly used as firewall management software. If UFW is running on your server, you must allow HTTP traffic to publicly access your web server through the firewall. You can check the current status of UFW as follows:

sudo ufw status

If UFW is activated, use this command to allow Nginx HTTP traffic:

sudo ufw allow 'Nginx HTTP'

Double-check the situation to make sure the relevant rules apply:

sudo ufw status

Step 5: Manage the Nginx service

Nginx runs as a service in the background. You can manage this service using the systemctl command. Here are some useful systemctl commands to manage Nginx:

• sudo systemctl start nginx : Starts the Nginx service.
• sudo systemctl stop nginx : Stops the Nginx service.
• sudo systemctl restart nginx : Restarts the Nginx service. Use this after making changes to configuration files or resolving minor issues.
• sudo systemctl reload nginx : Restarts Nginx without dropping connections. Useful for applying changes without interrupting users.
• sudo systemctl enable nginx : Sets Nginx to start automatically at boot.
• sudo systemctl disable nginx : Prevents Nginx from starting automatically at boot.

Step 6: Understanding Nginx configuration

Nginx configuration files are typically located in the /etc/nginx directory. The main configuration file is /etc/nginx/nginx.conf, which contains instructions for managing modules, setting user permissions, and more.

Often, virtual host configuration is managed separately in the /etc/nginx/sites-available directory. This directory contains configuration files for individual domains, which are symlinked to /etc/nginx/sites-enabled to be activated. You can also find configuration snippets in /etc/nginx/snippets for reusable settings.

Step 7: Set up the server block

Server blocks, Apache's equivalent of virtual hosts, allow Nginx to run multiple sites on a single server. First, go to /etc/nginx/sites-available/ and create a new configuration file:

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

In the following configuration file, replace "example.com" with your domain name:

server { listen 80; server_name example.com www.example.com; location / { proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8080; 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; } }

With this setup, requests for 'example.com' will be proxied to the application running on 127.0.0.1:8080. Use sensible default values or adjust the configuration based on your needs.

Step 8: Enable server block by symlink

Create a symbolic link to your configuration file at site-enabled:

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

This action enables your server block. Test the new configuration to detect possible errors:

sudo nginx -t

If there are no errors, restart Nginx to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 9: Set up a simple HTML website

You can test the setup by creating a basic static HTML file. Create a new directory that will act as your web root:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/example.com/html

Set the appropriate permissions:

sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/www/example.com/html

Create a simple HTML file:

nano /var/www/example.com/html/index.html

Add the following content to index.html:

<!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <title>Welcome</title> </head> <body> <h1>Welcome to example.com!</h1> </body> </html>

Go to http://your_server_ip or http://example.com to view your webpage.

Step 10: Implementing security with SSL/TLS

To secure your web server, it is recommended to implement an SSL/TLS certificate for the site. Free SSL certificates can be obtained from Let's Encrypt, a certificate authority that offers free certificates with automation support.

Install the Certbot utility and the Nginx plugin for SSL certificate retrieval and installation:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Next, request a certificate using Certbot:

sudo certbot --nginx

Certbot will prompt for necessary information such as your domain name and email. Upon successful completion, Certbot automatically reloads Nginx. Visit https://example.com to confirm the secure HTTPS connection with the padlock icon.

Auto-renewal of SSL certificate

Certbot sets up a systemd job to automatically handle SSL certificate renewals. You can also perform a manual renewal check:

sudo certbot renew --dry-run

Check the upgrade and make sure it is successful without any errors.

Final thoughts

Once Nginx is configured, you can now host and serve various websites. Remember to monitor server performance, manage logs, and keep Nginx and server packages up-to-date to maintain security and efficiency. The Nginx web server is a powerful tool suitable for many web tasks and architecture needs.

Conclusion

Setting up a web server with Nginx on Debian involves defining configuration, adding server blocks, and ensuring security with SSL. Understanding the basics of Nginx installation, configuration, and management lays the groundwork for more complex applications and service deployments. You should now have a running web server ready to serve pages or applications with high efficiency.

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