Configuring Nginx as a reverse Proxy server on a Virtual private server (VPS) can significantly enhance the security, performance, and availability of your web application. A reverse proxy acts as an intermediary between internet users and the web server, allowing an additional layer of abstraction for request handling, content caching, SSL/TLS encryption, and more. In this article, we'll guide you through the basic setup of NGINX as a reverse proxy on a VPS.

Prerequisites

• Access to a VPS with a Linux system.
• NGINX installed.
• A valid domain pointing to your VPS's IP address.

Installing NGINX

If NGINX is not yet installed, you can easily install it using your distribution's package manager. For Ubuntu/Debian, use:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install nginx

For CentOS/RHEL, you can use:

sudo yum install nginx

Configuring the Reverse Proxy

1. Create a Configuration File for Your Domain

   Create a new configuration file for your domain in the /etc/nginx/sites-available/ directory and open it in a text editor:

   sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/yourdomain.com
   

2. Setting Up the Reverse Proxy

   Insert the following configuration into the file, replacing yourdomain.com with your domain and localhost:3000 with the address and port where your application is running:

   server {
       listen 80;
       server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;
   
       location / {
           proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
           proxy_http_version 1.1;
           proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
           proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
           proxy_set_header Host $host;
           proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
       }
   }
   

3. Activate the Configuration

   After saving the file, activate the configuration by creating a symbolic link to the /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/ directory:

   sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/yourdomain.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
   

4. Test Configuration and Restart NGINX

   Before restarting NGINX, make sure your configuration has no syntax errors:

   sudo nginx -t
   

   If the configuration is okay, restart NGINX:

   sudo systemctl restart nginx
   

 

Securing with SSL/TLS

To secure your application using HTTPS, it's recommended to set up SSL/TLS certificates, for example, using Let's Encrypt and Certbot.

1. Install Certbot

   sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
   

2. Obtain and Install Certificates

   sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com
   

Certbot will automatically modify the NGINX configuration and add the necessary rules for securing the connection.

 

Setting up NGINX as a reverse proxy on a VPS can significantly improve the security, speed, and reliability of your application. With encryption, caching, and load distribution capabilities, a reverse proxy offers many benefits for modern web applications. With this step-by-step guide, you can easily implement this configuration and take advantage of the features NGINX offers.