KodeKloud Notes

In this module, you’ll learn how to install, configure, and secure Nginx on Linux using native package managers—no custom compilation required.

Why use package managers?
Package managers like apt, yum, or dnf handle dependencies, updates, and safe removal for you, so you’re not reinventing the wheel when deploying software such as Nginx.
Note
Compiling from source can give you fine-grained control, but it increases maintenance overhead. For most production environments, the prebuilt packages are reliable and secure.
Installing Nginx on Linux
While Windows and macOS can be used for local testing, production deployments typically run on Linux distributions.
- Ubuntu / Debian:
```
sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx
```
- CentOS / RHEL / Fedora:
```
sudo yum install nginx      # CentOS/RHEL 7
sudo dnf install nginx      # Fedora, CentOS/RHEL 8+
```
- Start and enable Nginx:
```
sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx
```
Service Management with systemctl
Use Nginx’s built-in controls to manage the daemon:
```
sudo systemctl {start|stop|restart|reload} nginx
sudo systemctl status nginx
```
Understanding nginx.conf Structure
The main configuration file is divided into four sections:
1. Global (user, worker_processes)
2. events (worker_connections)
3. http (MIME types, logging, gzip)
4. server blocks (virtual hosts)
Serving Static Files & Virtual Hosts
Nginx excels at delivering static content with minimal overhead. You can host multiple sites on a single IP by defining separate server blocks. Always set a unique server_name to prevent Nginx from defaulting to the first file alphabetically.

Customizing the Default Welcome Page
Replace the built-in Nginx page with a simple “Hello World” HTML:

<!-- /var/www/html/index.html -->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head><title>Hello World</title></head>
  <body><h1>Hello, Nginx!</h1></body>
</html>

Firewall Configuration
Ensure your firewall and any cloud security groups allow HTTP/HTTPS traffic only as needed:

Distribution	Firewall Tool	Common Commands
Ubuntu / Debian	UFW	`sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'` <br> `sudo ufw enable`
CentOS / RHEL	firewalld	`sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http` <br> `sudo firewall-cmd --reload`
All (Cloud VPS)	Security Group	Configure ports 80/443 in AWS/GCP/Azure console or CLI

Warning

Opening ports 80 and 443 without restrictions exposes your server to the public internet. Always verify your rule sets and consider limiting access by IP for staging environments.

Summary

Links and References

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