How to Configure Nginx for Virtual Hosts

Running multiple websites or domains on a single server is a common requirement in the web world. Nginx, a powerful web server, can be easily configured to support virtual hosts or multiple domains. This allows you to serve different websites from the same server, enhancing your server's utilization and resource efficiency.

Step 1: Install Nginx

Ensure that Nginx is installed on your server. You can follow the official Nginx installation guides based on your operating system. Once installed, restart the Nginx service.

Step 2: Create Directories and Files

In order to host multiple websites, you need to create directories for each domain or virtual host. Typically, these directories are located in the "/var/www/" directory. For example, let's assume you have two domains: "example1.com" and "example2.com". Create directories called "example1" and "example2" inside the "/var/www/" directory.

Step 3: Configure Nginx

Open the Nginx configuration file, usually located at "/etc/nginx/nginx.conf" or "/etc/nginx/sites-available/default". Inside the "http" block, add the following lines:

        
            server {
                listen 80;
                server_name example1.com;
                root /var/www/example1;

                location / {
                    index index.html;
                }
            }

            server {
                listen 80;
                server_name example2.com;
                root /var/www/example2;

                location / {
                    index index.html;
                }
            }
        
    

Ensure that "server_name" matches your domain name, and "root" matches the corresponding directory created in the previous step.

Step 4: Test Configuration and Restart Nginx

Validate the configuration file syntax by running the following command:

        
            nginx -t
        
    

If there are no errors, restart Nginx for the changes to take effect:

        
            sudo systemctl restart nginx
        
    

Step 5: DNS Configuration

Ensure that your domain's DNS records are correctly configured and point to the IP address of your server.

Step 6: Test Your Setup

Open your web browser and type the URL of each domain you configured. If everything is set up correctly, you should see the content of the corresponding "index.html" files inside the respective directories.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can easily configure Nginx to support virtual hosts or multiple domains. This allows you to efficiently host multiple websites on the same server, providing a seamless experience to your users.