Install and Configure Nginx on Ubuntu 22.04
Nginx is an open-source web server used to deliver both static and dynamic web content. It can act as a web server, reverse proxy, load balancer, or HTTP cache, integrating seamlessly with various applications to provide efficient web delivery via your server’s IP or domain.
This guide explains how to install Nginx on Ubuntu 22.04 and set up sample web applications for optimal performance.
Prerequisites
- An Ubuntu 22.04 server.
- A domain A record pointing to your server’s IP address.
- SSH access as a non-root user with sudo privileges.
- An updated server package index.
Install Nginx on Ubuntu 22.04
Nginx is included in Ubuntu 22.04’s default APT repositories. Follow the steps below to install and verify the web server.
Update the Package Index
$ sudo apt update
Install Nginx
$ sudo apt install nginx -y
Check the Installed Nginx Version
$ nginx -v
Example output:
nginx version: nginx/1.18.0 (Ubuntu)
Manage the Nginx System Service
Nginx runs as a systemd service that manages the web server’s processes. Use the following commands to control its status.
Enable Nginx on Boot
$ sudo systemctl enable nginx
Start Nginx
$ sudo systemctl start nginx
Stop Nginx
$ sudo systemctl stop nginx
Restart Nginx
$ sudo systemctl restart nginx
Check Nginx Service Status
$ sudo systemctl status nginx
Example output:
● nginx.service - A high performance web server and a reverse proxy server
Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/nginx.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
Active: active (running) since Sun 2025-04-06 07:47:16 UTC; 1min 49s ago
Docs: man:nginx(8)
Main PID: 3143 (nginx)
Tasks: 5 (limit: 9385)
Memory: 4.8M
CGroup: /system.slice/nginx.service
├─3143 "nginx: master process /usr/sbin/nginx -g daemon on; master_process on;"
├─3144 "nginx: worker process"
├─3145 "nginx: worker process"
├─3146 "nginx: worker process"
└─3147 "nginx: worker process"
Create an Nginx Virtual Host
Virtual hosts define how Nginx serves specific domains or web apps. The following steps show how to create a basic configuration to host a sample website.
Create the Virtual Host File
$ sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/app.example.com.conf
Add the Virtual Host Configuration
server {
listen 80;
listen [::]:80;
server_name app.example.com;
root /var/www/app.example.com;
index index.html;
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
}
}
This configuration listens on HTTP port 80 and serves files from the web root /var/www/app.example.com.
Test the Configuration
$ sudo nginx -t
Enable the Virtual Host
$ sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/app.example.com.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
Create the Web Root Directory
$ sudo mkdir -p /var/www/app.example.com
Create a Sample HTML File
$ sudo nano /var/www/app.example.com/index.html
Add HTML Content
<head></head>
<body>
<h1>Greetings from centron</h1>
</body>
</html> </pre>
Restart Nginx
$ sudo systemctl restart nginx
Test Access to Your Domain
Use curl to confirm your site is accessible:
$ curl http://app.example.com
Secure the Nginx Web Server
SSL certificates ensure encrypted communication between a user’s browser and the Nginx web server via HTTPS. By default, Nginx listens on the unencrypted HTTP port 80. Follow these steps to generate and apply trusted Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates, securing your web server.
Install Certbot
Install the Certbot Let’s Encrypt client package using Snap:
$ sudo snap install --classic certbot
Check Certbot Version
Verify that Certbot was installed successfully:
$ certbot --version
Example output:
certbot 3.3.0
Allow HTTP Traffic for Certificate Verification
Certbot uses HTTP port 80 for ACME domain validation. Allow incoming connections temporarily:
$ sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
Generate the SSL Certificate
Create a new SSL certificate for your domain. Replace app.example.com with your actual domain:
$ sudo certbot --nginx -d app.example.com --agree-tos
Set Up Firewall Rules
Ubuntu 22.04 includes the Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) by default. Configure it to permit Nginx to handle incoming HTTP and HTTPS connections.
Allow HTTPS Traffic
Open the HTTPS port (443) to allow secure web access:
$ sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
Check Firewall Status
Verify that UFW rules for Nginx are active:
$ sudo ufw status
Example output:
Status: active To Action From -- ------ ---- 22/tcp ALLOW Anywhere 80/tcp ALLOW Anywhere 443/tcp ALLOW Anywhere 22/tcp (v6) ALLOW Anywhere (v6) 80/tcp (v6) ALLOW Anywhere (v6) 443/tcp (v6) ALLOW Anywhere (v6)
Conclusion
In this tutorial, you installed and configured Nginx on Ubuntu 22.04 to host secure web applications. You also enabled HTTPS using Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates and configured UFW firewall rules. Nginx supports multiple virtual hosts for secure application deployment and integrates easily with services like MySQL and PHP to power dynamic web applications.
