Linux Nginx Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to Nginx on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including installation, configuration, and server blocks.

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Table of Contents

1. Nginx Installation
2. Nginx Configuration
3. Server Blocks
4. Reverse Proxy
5. Troubleshooting

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Nginx Installation

Install Nginx

Arch/CachyOS:

# Install Nginx
sudo pacman -S nginx

# Enable service
sudo systemctl enable --now nginx

# Check status
systemctl status nginx

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

Fedora:

sudo dnf install nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

Verify Installation

Test Nginx:

# Check if running
curl http://localhost

# Or open browser
# http://localhost

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Nginx Configuration

Main Configuration

Edit config:

# Edit main config
sudo vim /etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Basic Settings

Common settings:

user http;
worker_processes auto;
events {
    worker_connections 1024;
}
http {
    include /etc/nginx/mime.types;
    default_type application/octet-stream;
}

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Server Blocks

Create Server Block

Nginx server block:

# Create server block
sudo vim /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com

Add:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com;
    root /srv/http/example;
    index index.html;
}

Enable:

# Create symlink
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

# Test config
sudo nginx -t

# Reload
sudo systemctl reload nginx

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Reverse Proxy

Configure Proxy

Reverse proxy:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com;
    
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }
}

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Troubleshooting

Nginx Not Starting

Check logs:

# Check service
systemctl status nginx

# Check logs
journalctl -u nginx

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

Test Configuration

Validate config:

# Test configuration
sudo nginx -t

# Reload if OK
sudo systemctl reload nginx

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Summary

This guide covered Nginx installation, configuration, and server blocks for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.

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Next Steps

• Web Servers - Web server setup
• Networking - Network setup
• Nginx: https://nginx.org/

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This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.