My HNG 12 Debut: Re(learning) Nginx Through a Custom HTML Challenge

Introduction

HNG 12's DevOps track is officially ON! Stage 0 kicked off with a seemingly simple task: configuring Nginx to serve a custom HTML page. But don't let its simplicity fool you—this challenge solidified my understanding of web server configurations, particularly Nginx.

Implementation:

• Setting up the web server: My site needed a public face, so I spun up an Ubuntu server in Azure – my cloud of choice. Armed with the Azure CLI, I quickly provisioned the virtual machine.

az vm create --name nginx-serve --resource-group nginx-resource_group --size Standard_B1ls --image Ubuntu22.04 --nsg-rule SSH --admin-username <your_username> --admin-password <your_password>

You can now connect securely to your provisioned resource.

• Install Nginx: Update package manager and install Nginx:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y nginx

• Confirm that Nginx is running:

sudo systemctl status nginx

• Alter Firewall:

sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'

• Configure custom HTML page: I navigated to the default web directory and edited the default webpage file:

 cd /var/www/html/*

• Restart Nginx service:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

As for challenges, I faced no challenges as I went through the task.

Reflection:

This task wasn't just about Nginx; it was a deep dive into web server mastery. I leveled up my configuration skills, troubleshooting prowess, and problem-solving mindset.

This HNG 12 experience is fueling my DevOps ambitions, solidifying my foundation in server administration and automation.

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