Nginx Configuration Guide

Nginx Reverse Proxy Setup with HTTPS on Ubuntu 22.04

This guide walks you through setting up an Nginx web server on Ubuntu 22.04 with:

A reverse proxy configuration where yourwebsite.com/hash points to hash.yourwebsite.com
HTTPS support using Let’s Encrypt via Certbot

Prerequisites

A server running Ubuntu 22.04
A registered domain name (e.g., yourwebsite.com )
DNS A record pointing yourwebsite.com to your server’s IP

Step 1: Install Nginx

CODE

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx -y

Start and enable Nginx:

CODE

sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

Step 2: Configure Nginx Server Block for yourwebsite.com

Create a new config file:

CODE

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

Paste the following content:

CODE

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourwebsite.com;

location /hash {
        proxy_pass https://hash.yourwebsite.com/;
        proxy_set_header Host hash.yourwebsite.com;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        client_max_body_size 50M;
    }

    access_log /var/log/nginx/yourwebsite.com_access.log;
    error_log /var/log/nginx/yourwebsite.com_error.log;
}

Enable the configuration:

CODE

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/yourwebsite.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

Step 3: (Optional) Install Certbot and Nginx Plugin

CODE

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

Step 4: (Optional) Obtain SSL Certificate with Certbot

Replace yourwebsite.com with your actual domain:

CODE

sudo certbot --nginx -d yourwebsite.com

Certbot will:

Automatically configure HTTPS in your Nginx config
Enable HTTP to HTTPS redirection
Reload Nginx automatically

Step 5: Verify Setup

Test the proxy by visiting:

CODE

https://yourwebsite.com/hash

It should forward the request to:

CODE

http://hash.yourwebsite.com/

Step 6: (Optional) Test Auto-Renewal

Verify Certbot renewal service:

CODE

sudo systemctl list-timers | grep certbot

Simulate a dry run renewal:

CODE

sudo certbot renew --dry-run

Conclusion

You now have:

Nginx running on Ubuntu 22.04
HTTPS enabled via Let’s Encrypt
A reverse proxy from yourwebsite.com/hash to hash.yourwebsite.com

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