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Quick Start with NGINX on Ubuntu 18.04

· 3 min read
Ahmad Saufi Maulana

NGINX (pronounced "engine-x") is a web server renowned for its speed, efficiency, and ability to handle high traffic volumes. If you're looking to host a website or application on Ubuntu 18.04, NGINX is an excellent choice. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the installation process, firewall configuration, basic testing, and essential server block setup. We'll also delve into some additional considerations to optimize your NGINX experience.

Prerequisites​

An Ubuntu 18.04 server with SSH access A basic understanding of Linux commands

warning

Use command with caution.

Installation​

Update package lists​

sudo apt update

This command ensures your system has the latest information about available software packages.

Install NGINX​

sudo apt install nginx

This command retrieves and installs the latest NGINX package from the Ubuntu repositories.

Verifying Installation​

Once the installation is complete, you can verify that NGINX is running using the following command:

sudo systemctl status nginx

This command should display output indicating that NGINX is active (running) and enabled.

Firewall Configuration​

By default, Ubuntu 18.04 might use UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) to manage incoming connections. To allow access to NGINX through the firewall, you can use the following command:

sudo ufw allow http

This command opens port 80 (the standard HTTP port) for incoming traffic.

Testing NGINX​

Now that NGINX is installed and configured with the firewall, you can test it by opening a web browser and navigating to your server's IP address. If everything is set up correctly, you should see the default NGINX welcome page.

The default NGINX configuration serves content from the /var/www/html directory. This is fine for a simple setup, but for hosting multiple websites or applications, you'll need to configure server blocks.

Server blocks define virtual hosts, allowing you to serve different content from different locations on your server based on the domain name or IP address.

Create a server block file​

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/your_domain.conf

Replace your_domain.conf with your desired domain name.

Paste the following configuration into the file, replacing the placeholders:

/etc/nginx/sites-available/your_domain.conf
server {
    listen 80;  # Adjust port if needed
    server_name your_domain.com;  # Replace with your domain name

    # Document root location
    root /path/to/your/website/content;

    # Index file to serve when a directory is requested
    index index.html index.htm;

    location / {
        # Add directives for serving static content, caching, etc.
    }
}
info

Don't forget to change your_domain.conf and your_domain.com with your desired domain name.

Enable the server block:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/your_domain.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/your_domain.conf

Test the configuration:

sudo nginx -t

This command checks the syntax of your server block configuration for errors.

Reload NGINX:

sudo systemctl reload nginx

This command applies the changes you made to the server block configuration.

Additional Considerations​

Permissions​

Ensure the user running NGINX (usually www-data) has read permissions for your website's content directory.

SSL/TLS​

For secure communication, consider installing and configuring SSL/TLS certificates on your server.

Security​

Regularly update NGINX and the underlying Ubuntu system to address security vulnerabilities.

Remarks​

By following these steps, you'll have a basic NGINX web server up and running on your Ubuntu 18.04 system. Remember to consult the official NGINX documentation for more advanced configuration options and best practices.