Setting Nginx as a reverse proxy for Node.js
by Lance Gold
Yes, Node.js can run behind Nginx
From Google A.I. "can nginx have multiple symlinks in sites-enabled"
AI Overview
Yes, NGINX can have multiple symbolic links in the sites-enabled directory. This is the standard and recommended way to manage multiple virtual hosts (server blocks) in NGINX, especially in Debian-based distributions.
How it Works
The sites-enabled/sites-available convention is used to easily manage which sites are active without deleting configuration files.
•sites-available directory: This directory stores all of your NGINX server block configuration files, whether they are currently active or not.
•sites-enabled directory: This directory contains symbolic links to the configuration files in sites-available. NGINX is configured (usually in the main nginx.conf file) to include all files or symlinks within this directory when it loads its configuration.
Key Benefits
•Easy Management: To enable a site, you simply create a symbolic link from sites-available to sites-enabled. To disable a site, you just remove the symlink.
•Organization: It keeps all potential configuration files in one place, even if they aren't active.
•No Duplication: The actual configuration is only written once in sites-available.
Important Note
For this structure to work, your main nginx.conf file must contain a line like:
nginx
include /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/*;
This line tells NGINX to process all the configuration files (or symlinks pointing to them) in the sites-enabled directory.
Multiple server directives
from the Google A.I. "nginx using multiple server directives"
AI Overview
Nginx is designed to use multiple server directives (also known as server blocks or virtual hosts) within the main http context of its configuration file to host multiple websites or applications on a single server, often using the same IP address and port.
How Nginx Selects a Server Block
When a request arrives, Nginx uses a two-step process to decide which server block will handle the connection:
1. Matching the listen directive: Nginx first identifies all server blocks that have compatible listen directives for the incoming IP address and port (e.g., port 80 or 443).
2. Matching the server_name directive: If multiple server blocks match the IP and port, Nginx compares the request's Host header to each block's server_name directive to find the best match. The matching order is:
a. Exact name match.
b. Longest leading wildcard match (e.g., *.example.com).
c. Longest trailing wildcard match (e.g., mail.*).
d. Regular expression match.
If no server_name matches, Nginx uses the default server for that IP and port combination.
Configuration Example
A typical Nginx configuration for multiple websites includes several server blocks within the http { ... } context.
nginx
http {
# Include other common settings (MIME types, logging, etc.)
include /etc/nginx/mime.types;
# Optional: tune hash sizes if many server names are used
# server_names_hash_bucket_size 64;
# Server block for the first domain
server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com www.example.com;
root /var/www/example.com/html;
index index.html index.htm;
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
}
}
# Server block for the second domain
server {
listen 80;
server_name domain2.com www.domain2.com;
root /var/www/://domain2.com;
index index.html index.htm;
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
}
}
# Default server block to handle unmatched requests (optional but recommended)
server {
listen 80 default_server;
server_name ""; # Catches requests without a Host header or unmatched ones
return 444; # Closes the connection for unrecognized hosts
}
}
Best Practices
•Separate Files: For better management, it is a common practice to create separate configuration files for each server block in the /etc/nginx/sites-available/ directory and use symbolic links to enable them in the /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/ directory.
•SSL/TLS: For HTTPS, each secure server block requires a valid certificate configured within its own block.