NGINX 101 Baby

If you’re new to NGINX and need to set up domain forwarding, reverse proxying, and SSL, this guide is for you! Let's break it down into simple steps.

---

1️⃣ Install & Set Up NGINX

If NGINX isn’t installed yet, run:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install nginx -y

Check if it’s running:

sudo systemctl status nginx

🎉 If you see “active (running)”, you’re good to go!

---

2️⃣ Configure a Domain to Forward Requests

To forward demo.example.com to port 3000, edit the NGINX config:

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

Add this:

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

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
        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;
    }
}

Save and exit (CTRL + X, then Y, then ENTER).

---

3️⃣ Enable the Configuration

Activate it with:

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

Test and reload NGINX:

sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

---

4️⃣ Host Multiple Domains on Different Ports

If you want be.example.com to forward to port 8080, create another config:

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

Add:

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

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:8080;
    }
}

Enable it:

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

---

5️⃣ Enable HTTPS (SSL) for Security 🔒

Install Let’s Encrypt (Certbot):

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

Generate an SSL certificate:

sudo certbot --nginx -d demo.example.com -d be.example.com

This automatically configures HTTPS and redirects HTTP to HTTPS.

---

6️⃣ Managing NGINX

Check status:

sudo systemctl status nginx

Restart NGINX:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

View logs:

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

---

🚀 That’s It!

You now know how to:
✅ Set up domain forwarding

✅ Use NGINX as a reverse proxy

✅ Host multiple domains on different ports

✅ Secure your site with HTTPS

Go ahead and deploy your Next.js app or backend services like a pro! 💪😎

Let me know if you have any questions! 🚀🔥