How to Set Up Nginx Server Blocks on Ubuntu 22.04

Setting up Nginx server blocks, also known as virtual hosts, allows you to host multiple websites on a single server. Each server block can have its own configuration, including a separate domain or subdomain. Here's a step-by-step guide to set up Nginx server blocks on Ubuntu 22.04:

Step 1 : Install Nginx:

Install Nginx using the following command:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx

Step 2 : Create Directory Structure:

Start by creating a directory structure to store your website files. You can create a directory for each website you plan to host. For example:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/example.devtutorial.io/html
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/another-example.devtutorial.io/html

Step 3 : Set Permissions:

Ensure that the web directory has the correct permissions:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/example.devtutorial.io/html
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/another-example.devtutorial.io/html

Step 4 : Create Sample HTML Files:

Create sample HTML files for each website to test:

echo "<h1>Welcome to example.devtutorial.io</h1>" | sudo tee /var/www/example.devtutorial.io/html/index.html
echo "<h1>Welcome to another-example.devtutorial.io</h1>" | sudo tee /var/www/another-example.devtutorial.io/html/index.html

Step 5 : Create Nginx Server Block Configuration:

Create a new Nginx server block configuration file for each website in the /etc/nginx/sites-available/ directory. For example:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.devtutorial.io

Add the following configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;

    server_name example.devtutorial.io;

    root /var/www/example.devtutorial.io/html;
    index index.html;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
    }
}

Repeat the process for the second website:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/another-example.devtutorial.io

Add a similar configuration with the appropriate domain and file paths.

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;

    server_name another-example.devtutorial.io;

    root /var/www/another-example.devtutorial.io/html;
    index index.html;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
    }
}

Step 6 : Create Symbolic Links:

Create symbolic links to the configuration files in the sites-enabled directory:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.devtutorial.io /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/another-example.devtutorial.io /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Step 7 : Test Nginx Configuration:

Before restarting Nginx, it's a good idea to test the configuration to make sure there are no syntax errors:

sudo nginx -t

Step 8 : Restart Nginx:

Restart Nginx to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 9 : Configure DNS:

Make sure your domain names point to the correct server IP address. You can do this by updating your domain registrar's DNS settings.

Step 10 : Test Your Websites:

Open a web browser and navigate to your websites using their domain names (e.g., http://example.devtutorial.io and http://another-example.devtutorial.io). You should see the respective HTML content you created.

By following these steps, you've set up Nginx server blocks to host multiple websites on your Ubuntu 22.04 server.