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To make NGINX accept a domain, connect the domain’s DNS records to the server’s public address, then create a matching NGINX server block. The listen directive chooses the address and port, while server_name chooses the hostname for each request. Use a static-file root for a website, proxy_pass for an application on another port, and a separate SSL listener with a certificate that covers every hostname you publish.
What must be in place first
NGINX cannot make a domain resolve by itself. The DNS zone and the web server perform different jobs: DNS tells a browser which address to contact, and NGINX decides what content to return after the connection reaches that address.
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- Control of the domain’s DNS zone through its registrar or DNS host.
- A server with a public IPv4 address, IPv6 address, or both, and network rules that allow the ports you intend to use.
- NGINX installed and running on that server.
- A website directory for static files or an application listening on a local port for reverse proxying.
- A certificate and private key whose names cover the hostnames you will serve if HTTPS is required.
Provider labels differ. One DNS service may call an address record A, another may expose separate fields for the record name and value. Follow the labels used by your registrar or DNS host rather than assuming that every control panel is identical.
Point the domain at the NGINX server
Create address records
Create an A record for the apex name, such as example.com, pointing to the server’s public IPv4 address. If the server has IPv6, create an AAAA record as well. For www.example.com, either create its own A and AAAA records or use a CNAME that targets the apex name, depending on what your DNS host permits.
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Do not point a record at 127.0.0.1 or another private address for a public website. Those addresses refer to the visitor’s own network or to an internal network and will not reach your server from the public internet.
Allow time for DNS changes
DNS caches honor the time-to-live configured for each record, and recursive resolvers can continue returning an older answer until that cache expires. The exact propagation behavior depends on the DNS provider, resolver, and previous TTL. A successful lookup from one network does not prove that every visitor has received the new value.
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Use a DNS lookup utility from a machine outside the server’s network when possible:
dig example.com A
dig example.com AAAA
dig www.example.com A
nslookup example.comThe returned address should be the address assigned to the NGINX server. If DNS returns an old address, fix the DNS record or wait for caches to expire; changing NGINX on the new server cannot correct a DNS answer that still points elsewhere.
How NGINX chooses a server block
Every request is evaluated in two stages. First, listen selects the socket (an address and port). Within the selected listener, NGINX compares the request’s Host header with server_name values. The NGINX documentation describes it this way: “Server names are defined using the server_name directive and determine which server block is used for a given request.”
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| Directive or setting | What it controls | Typical mistake |
|---|---|---|
listen |
The local address and port, such as port 80 for HTTP or 443 for HTTPS. | Defining a block on a port that is not reachable or omitting the SSL listener for HTTPS. |
server_name |
The exact hostnames or patterns that select the block. | Leaving out the apex name, the www name, or a spelling variant that users actually request. |
root |
The filesystem directory used to serve static files. | Pointing at the wrong directory or placing the file outside the path NGINX can read. |
location |
Which URI paths use a set of directives. | Putting proxy directives outside a location or using a more specific location unintentionally. |
proxy_pass |
The upstream URL that receives a proxied request. | Using an application port that is not listening or omitting it from the location block. |
If several blocks share an address and port, NGINX uses the request host to choose among them. When no name matches, the request goes to the default server for that listener. This is why a domain can display NGINX’s welcome page even though a custom file exists: the request reached NGINX, but it did not select the intended block.
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Create the document root
Choose a directory that contains the site’s files. The following example uses /var/www/example; use a different path if your operating system or deployment layout requires one.
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/example
sudo sh -c 'printf "<h1>Example site</h1>n" > /var/www/example/index.html'Ensure that the NGINX worker process can traverse the parent directories and read the files. The required user and group vary by operating system, so inspect your distribution’s existing NGINX service configuration rather than applying a universal ownership command blindly.
Add the server block
Place a configuration file in the directory used by your installation. On systems that use an sites-available and sites-enabled layout, create a file such as /etc/nginx/sites-available/example and enable it using the layout’s normal symlink or include mechanism.
server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com www.example.com;
location / {
root /var/www/example;
index index.html;
}
}The two names in server_name are separate hostnames. Include both only if DNS points both names to this server and the site should answer for both. If you want one name to redirect to the other, create a deliberate redirect block instead of silently serving identical content.
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Validate and reload
- Check syntax and included files with
sudo nginx -t. Do not reload while this check reports an error. - Reload the running service using your operating system’s service manager, for example
sudo systemctl reload nginx. A reload applies the new configuration without unnecessarily dropping existing connections. - Request both hostnames in a browser or with an HTTP client and confirm that the expected index file is returned.
A successful syntax check proves that NGINX can parse the configuration; it does not prove that DNS, firewall rules, file permissions, or the selected server name are correct. Test those layers separately.
Send the domain to an application on another port
For Node.js, Python, Ruby, Go, or another HTTP application, keep the application on its local port and let NGINX provide the public hostname. The application must already be listening on the address and port used by proxy_pass.
server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com www.example.com;
location / {
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
}
}The official reverse-proxy guide states: “To pass a request to an HTTP proxied server, the proxy_pass directive is specified inside a location.” Keep proxy_pass inside the location block, as shown. The Host header preserves the domain the visitor used, which matters when the upstream application generates links, selects a tenant, or applies host-based routing. X-Real-IP passes the connecting client address in the form shown; make sure your application is configured to trust that header only from your own NGINX proxy.
Check the upstream independently
From the NGINX server, request the application directly:
curl -i http://127.0.0.1:3000/If this request fails, NGINX will not be able to proxy successfully. Start the application, correct its bind address or port, or adjust local firewall policy. If the direct request works but the public request fails, inspect the NGINX block, DNS, and network access to port 80.
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Enable HTTPS for the domain
Configure an SSL listener
HTTPS needs a listener on port 443 and a certificate/private-key pair. The certificate must cover the exact hostname requested by the browser. A certificate for example.com does not automatically cover www.example.com unless that name is also included in the certificate’s names.
server {
listen 443 ssl;
server_name example.com www.example.com;
ssl_certificate /etc/ssl/example/fullchain.pem;
ssl_certificate_key /etc/ssl/example/privkey.pem;
location / {
root /var/www/example;
index index.html;
}
}NGINX’s HTTPS guidance documents the ssl parameter on listen and the certificate and private-key file directives. Keep the private key readable only by the accounts that need it, and use the paths supplied by your certificate-management process.
Decide what HTTP should do
You can serve HTTP and HTTPS from separate blocks. A common policy is to use port 80 only to redirect visitors to the HTTPS URL, while the port 443 block serves the site or proxies the application. If you instead serve content on both ports, make that choice intentional: users may otherwise continue using an unencrypted URL.
When adding a redirect block, keep its server_name values aligned with the names in the certificate and HTTPS block. Test the apex and www names independently because a missing name can fall through to another server block.
Diagnose certificate-name errors
If a browser reports a certificate-name mismatch, first check the hostname in the address bar and then inspect the certificate’s covered names. Next verify that the request is selecting the intended 443 block. When multiple SSL blocks share the listener, an unmatched name can receive the default server certificate even though another certificate is correctly installed.
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Prevent the default site from winning
Match every public hostname
List every hostname that should be accepted in the intended block. A block containing only example.com will not match www.example.com. Likewise, a typo, an unexpected trailing name, or a request made directly to the server’s IP can select a different block.
Understand default_server
Use listen 80 default_server; only on the block that should handle unmatched HTTP requests. The same principle applies to the HTTPS listener. A default block can return a deliberate error or redirect, but it should not accidentally expose the welcome site or another customer’s content.
Test the Host header
After DNS is correct, test the intended name explicitly:
curl -i -H 'Host: example.com' http://SERVER_IP/Replace SERVER_IP with the server address. This test reaches the server while forcing the hostname NGINX evaluates. If it returns the expected site, but a normal browser request does not, investigate DNS, cached redirects, or an intermediate proxy. For HTTPS, use a client that can connect to the server address while sending the desired name, and verify the certificate as well as the response body.
Use wildcard and internationalized domain names correctly
Wildcard hostnames
NGINX supports documented wildcard forms in server_name. A pattern such as *.example.com is intended for names below the apex; keep an explicit example.com entry when the apex itself must work. Do not use a wildcard merely to hide an incorrectly configured hostname: DNS still has to direct each requested name to the server, and HTTPS certificates must cover the names users will visit.
Internationalized domain names
Internationalized domain names are represented in DNS and NGINX configuration using their ASCII-compatible Punycode form. Convert the domain to the correct Punycode label before placing it in server_name, and obtain a certificate containing the corresponding internationalized name. Mixing a displayed Unicode spelling with the wrong ASCII label prevents matching.
Fix a server-name hash startup error
NGINX stores names in a hash for fast matching. A configuration with many names or unusually long labels can trigger a startup message saying that NGINX cannot build the server-name hash. Follow the adjustment suggested by that error: increase server_names_hash_bucket_size or server_names_hash_max_size in the appropriate HTTP-level configuration, then run nginx -t again before reloading.
Increase only the setting identified by the error and keep the change in a central HTTP configuration context rather than inside an individual server block. The exact value is environment-dependent; the error message is the authoritative indication that the current table is too small.
Quick Recap
Choose the configuration pattern that matches your site
| Use case | Listener and names | Request target | Security consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| One static site | Port 80, exact apex and optional www names |
root directory and an index file |
Add a separate 443 block and certificate when HTTPS is required. |
| Application on port 3000 | Port 80, exact names that DNS directs to the server | proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000 inside location / |
Keep the application port private when only NGINX should be public. |
| Static site over HTTPS | Port 443 with listen 443 ssl |
Filesystem root | Certificate and private key must cover every requested hostname. |
| Many subdomains | Exact names or documented wildcard syntax | Separate locations or blocks as required | DNS and certificate coverage must include the wildcard’s actual names; large name sets may require hash tuning. |
Troubleshoot by symptom
The domain cannot connect
- Check that A and, if used, AAAA records return the server’s current public addresses.
- Confirm that the server is running NGINX and that the intended port is reachable through network firewalls.
- Verify that the DNS name is not still cached with an old address.
NGINX shows its welcome or default page
- Confirm that the request hostname appears in the intended
server_namedirective. - Look for another block on the same address and port marked or acting as the default.
- Run the Host-header test and inspect enabled configuration files for duplicate or misspelled names.
The browser returns 404 for a static file
- Check that the requested file exists below the configured
root. - Confirm the
indexfilename matches the file actually deployed. - Check directory traversal and file-read permissions for the NGINX worker account.
The proxy returns a gateway error
- Request the upstream URL locally from the NGINX server.
- Confirm that the application is listening on
127.0.0.1:3000or changeproxy_passto its real address and port. - Check the application’s own logs for crashes, bind failures, or a route that rejects the forwarded host.
HTTPS presents the wrong certificate
- Check that the request reaches port 443 and that the 443 block contains the requested name.
- Verify that the certificate file includes both the apex and any
wwwor wildcard name users enter. - Inspect other SSL blocks for an unintended default server that catches unmatched names.
NGINX refuses to reload after adding names
- Run
sudo nginx -tand read the first reported error, not only the final failure line. - Correct duplicate directives, missing braces, invalid paths, or certificate-file permissions.
- If the message concerns the server-name hash, adjust the indicated hash-size directive and test again.
Verification checklist
- DNS A and AAAA answers identify the NGINX server, and a
wwwrecord exists if that name is advertised. - The HTTP block listens on port 80 and lists every hostname it should serve.
- Static sites have a readable
rootand an existing index file; proxied sites have a reachable upstream. - Proxy configurations place
proxy_passinsidelocationand forward the original host when the upstream needs it. - The HTTPS block listens on 443 with
ssl, and its certificate and key paths are valid. - The certificate covers each hostname, including the apex,
www, or wildcard names users will request. - Only the intended block is the default for unmatched requests on each listener.
nginx -tsucceeds before every reload, followed by direct tests of HTTP, HTTPS, and each public hostname.
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