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Learn how to install, manage, and configure Nginx on Ubuntu (or any Debian-based distribution) using apt. For CentOS or RHEL-based systems, swap apt with yum.
All commands below assume you have sudo privileges.
If you’re on RHEL/CentOS, use yum install nginx and yum update -y instead of apt.

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Prerequisites

  • A running Ubuntu server (18.04, 20.04, or newer).
  • Internet connectivity to download packages.
  • Basic familiarity with the Linux command line.

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1. Update Package Index

Start by refreshing the local package index to fetch the latest metadata. 
sudo apt update -y
Example output: 
bob@alpine-host:~$ sudo apt update -y
Get:1 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-security InRelease [128 kB]
...
Fetched 34.3 MB in 3s (10.7 MB/s)
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
47 packages can be upgraded. Run 'apt list --upgradable' to see them.
Clear any clutter from your terminal before moving on: 
clear

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2. Install Nginx

Install Nginx and its dependencies: 
sudo apt install nginx
When prompted, confirm installation: 
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] Y
Clear the screen again: 
clear

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3. Manage the Nginx Service

Verify the current status of the Nginx service: 
sudo systemctl status nginx
You might see it inactive at first: 
● nginx.service - A high performance web server and a reverse proxy server
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/nginx.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
   Active: inactive (dead)
Start Nginx and confirm it’s running: 
sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl status nginx
Now the service should be active (running): 
● 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 Wed 2025-02-05 11:59:11 EST; 5s ago
Clear the screen: 
clear

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4. Test with curl

Ensure Nginx is serving content: 
curl localhost
You should receive the default Welcome to nginx! HTML response. Clear the screen once more: 
clear

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5. Explore Nginx Configuration Directory

All Nginx configurations live under /etc/nginx. Change into this directory and inspect the contents: 
cd /etc/nginx
ll
Example listing: 
total 76
drwxr-xr-x  2 root root  4096 Feb  5 11:58 ./
drwxr-xr-x  2 root root  4096 Feb  5 11:58 ../
drwxr-xr-x  1 root root  1077 Mar 20  2024 conf.d/
-rw-r--r--  1 root root   1642 Mar 20  2024 fastcgi.conf
-rw-r--r--  1 root root    113 Mar 20  2024 fastcgi_params
...
drwxr-xr-x  2 root root  4096 Feb  5 11:58 sites-available/
drwxr-xr-x  2 root root  4096 Feb  5 11:58 sites-enabled/

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5.1 Common Configuration Directories

DirectoryDescription
/etc/nginxCore Nginx configuration
/etc/nginx/conf.dIndependent configuration fragments
/etc/nginx/sites-availableVirtual host definitions (disabled by default)
/etc/nginx/sites-enabledSymlinks to enabled virtual hosts

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5.2 Global Settings (nginx.conf)

Open nginx.conf to review global directives: 
user www-data;
worker_processes auto;
pid /run/nginx.pid;
include /etc/nginx/modules-enabled/*.conf;

events {
    worker_connections 768;
}

http {
    ##
    # Basic Settings
    ##
    sendfile on;
    tcp_nopush on;
    tcp_nodelay on;
    keepalive_timeout 65;
    types_hash_max_size 2048;

    include /etc/nginx/mime.types;
    default_type application/octet-stream;

    ##
    # SSL Settings
    ##
    ssl_protocols TLSv1 TLSv1.1 TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3;
    ssl_prefer_server_ciphers on;

    ##
    # Logging
    ##
    error_log /var/log/nginx/error.log;
    access_log /var/log/nginx/access.log;

    ##
    # Gzip Settings
    ##
    gzip on;

    ##
    # Virtual Host Configs
    ##
    include /etc/nginx/conf.d/*.conf;
    include /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/*;
}
This configuration covers:
  • Worker processes, user, and module inclusion
  • Connection and timeout settings
  • SSL protocol and cipher preferences
  • Logging paths for access and errors
  • Gzip compression
  • Modular includes for virtual hosts

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6. View Nginx Logs

By default, Nginx writes logs to /var/log/nginx. List the log files: 
cd /var/log/nginx
ll
Example: 
total 16
drwxr-xr-x 2 root adm  4096 Feb  5 11:58 ./
drwxr-xr-x 1 root root 4096 Feb  5 11:58 ../
-rw-r--r-- 1 www-data adm   86 Feb  5 12:00 access.log
-rw-r----- 1 www-data adm    0 Feb  5 11:58 error.log
As you host multiple domains, consider creating subdirectories within /var/log/nginx/ for per-site logging.

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