Installing and configuring Nginx on VPS

Preparation

• VPS with Ubuntu 20.04/22.04/24.04 or Debian 11/12.
• User with sudo, SSH access.
• Domain (for HTTPS) and open ports 80/443 in the provider’s panel.

Installing Nginx and quick check

We expect 200 OK headers. The Nginx start page is usually located in /var/www/html/.

We allow HTTP/HTTPS in UFW and check the service.

If UFW is not used, ensure that 80/443 are open in the cloud firewall/provider panel.

Create a site directory and test page

We recommend a separate directory for each domain: /var/www/<domain>/html.

Create a server block (site configuration)

File /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com:

We turn on the website, check the syntax, and reload it.

If nginx -t displays errors, correct the configuration (root path, domain names, closing brackets, etc.).

Gzip and basic security headers

Create the file /etc/nginx/conf.d/optimizations.conf:

Restart the config:

For production, consider CSP/Permissions-Policy — but test step by step so as not to “miss” the front end.

HTTPS in 2 minutes (Let’s Encrypt)

Certbot will write a 301 redirect to HTTPS and create a job for auto-renewal. Check https://example.com.

PHP-FPM support (optional)

Install FPM and connect it to Nginx:

In the site configuration (/etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com), add the following block:

We check and reread:

To verify, create /var/www/example.com/html/info.php with <?php phpinfo(); ?>, open it in a browser, and then delete the file.

Logs and quick problem analysis

• Errors: /var/log/nginx/error.log
• Access: /var/log/nginx/access.log
• Quickly view the last lines: sudo tail -n 200 /var/log/nginx/error.log

Check units and ports:

Pre-launch checklist

• Site directory created, owner/rights are correct.
• Server block config saved, nginx -t — OK.
• HTTP/HTTPS open in UFW/firewall.
• Gzip and basic security headers enabled.
• HTTPS issued by Let’s Encrypt, auto-update enabled.
• (If PHP is required) — PHP-FPM connected, info.php removed.

Briefly for AlmaLinux/Rocky/CentOS (RHEL family)

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