Tutorials

Install Nginx

Nginx is a high-performance web server commonly used to serve static files, act as a reverse proxy for application servers, and terminate SSL connections. This guide walks you through installation and basic configuration on Ubuntu and Debian.

Requirements

  • A VPS running Ubuntu 20.04+ or Debian 11+
  • Root or sudo access
  • A domain name pointed at your server's IP (for virtual hosts)

1. Connect to Your Server

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Or use the web terminal in the Sitequest dashboard.

2. Install Nginx

apt update
apt install -y nginx

Verify Nginx is running:

systemctl status nginx

Visit http://YOUR_SERVER_IP in your browser — you should see the default Nginx welcome page.

3. Open Firewall Ports

If you use the Sitequest firewall, ensure ports 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS) are open.

With ufw:

ufw allow 'Nginx Full'

4. Understand the File Structure

Path Purpose
/etc/nginx/nginx.conf Main configuration file
/etc/nginx/sites-available/ Virtual host config files
/etc/nginx/sites-enabled/ Symlinks to active configs
/var/www/ Default web root
/var/log/nginx/ Access and error logs

5. Create a Virtual Host

Create a directory for your site:

mkdir -p /var/www/example.com/html
chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/example.com

Add a test page:

echo '<h1>Hello from example.com</h1>' > /var/www/example.com/html/index.html

Create the server block configuration:

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

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    server_name example.com www.example.com;
    root /var/www/example.com/html;
    index index.html;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
    }
}

Enable the site and test the configuration:

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

6. Set Up a Reverse Proxy

To proxy traffic to an application running on localhost:3000:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name app.example.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        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;
    }
}

This is useful when running Node.js, Python, or Docker applications behind Nginx.

7. Enable Gzip Compression

Add to the http block in /etc/nginx/nginx.conf:

gzip on;
gzip_vary on;
gzip_min_length 1024;
gzip_types text/plain text/css application/json application/javascript text/xml application/xml text/javascript;

Reload Nginx after changes:

systemctl reload nginx

8. Basic Security Headers

Add these inside your server block for improved security:

add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN" always;
add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" always;
add_header Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin" always;

9. (Optional) Enable Brotli Compression

Brotli offers better compression ratios than Gzip, especially for text-based assets. On Ubuntu 22.04+ you can install the dynamic module:

apt install -y libnginx-mod-brotli

Then add to the http block in /etc/nginx/nginx.conf:

brotli on;
brotli_comp_level 6;
brotli_types text/plain text/css application/json application/javascript text/xml application/xml text/javascript image/svg+xml;

Reload Nginx:

systemctl reload nginx

Brotli is only used over HTTPS. Browsers fall back to Gzip when Brotli is not available, so keep both enabled.

10. (Optional) Enable HTTP/3

HTTP/3 uses QUIC (UDP) for faster connections, especially on mobile networks. You need Nginx 1.25.0+ (Ubuntu 24.04 ships with it, or use the official Nginx repo on older releases).

Check your version:

nginx -v

Update your SSL server block to add HTTP/3 listeners:

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    listen [::]:443 ssl;
    listen 443 quic;
    listen [::]:443 quic;
    server_name example.com;

    ssl_certificate     /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem;

    add_header Alt-Svc 'h3=":443"; ma=86400' always;

    # ... rest of your config
}

Make sure UDP port 443 is open in your Sitequest firewall. Test HTTP/3 support at http3check.net.

Next Steps