How to Install and Configure Nginx on Linux Server

Nginx is a high-performance web server and reverse proxy server. It's known for its stability, rich feature set, and low resource consumption. This guide will help you install and configure Nginx on your Hiddence Linux server.

Installing Nginx on Ubuntu/Debian

Update package list and install Nginx:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx -y

Installing Nginx on RHEL / CentOS / AlmaLinux / Rocky Linux

Install EPEL repository and Nginx:

sudo yum install epel-release -y
sudo yum install nginx -y
sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

Basic Configuration

Nginx configuration files are located in /etc/nginx/. The main configuration file is nginx.conf. On Ubuntu/Debian, server blocks are in /etc/nginx/sites-available/, on RHEL-based systems in /etc/nginx/conf.d/. Test configuration and reload:

sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

Setting Up Virtual Host

Create a server block for your domain:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/yourdomain.com
# Add server block configuration
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/yourdomain.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

Configure Firewall

Allow HTTP and HTTPS traffic:

sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'
# Or for firewalld:
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=https
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Useful Tips

• Always test configuration before reloading: sudo nginx -t
• Check Nginx error logs: sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log
• Use server blocks for multiple websites on one server
• Enable Gzip compression for better performance
• Set up SSL certificates for HTTPS (see our SSL guide)