How To Install Nginx on Linux Mint 22
In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Nginx on Linux Mint 22. Nginx (pronounced “engine-x”) is a powerful, open-source web server software known for its high performance, stability, and versatility. It has gained immense popularity among website owners and developers due to its ability to handle a large number of concurrent connections efficiently. Nginx serves as a reverse proxy, load balancer, and HTTP cache, making it an essential tool for delivering fast and reliable web services.
This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you the step-by-step installation of the Nginx web server on Linux Mint 22.
Prerequisites
- A server running one of the following operating systems: Linux Mint 22.
- It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
- While we’ll guide you through the process, a basic understanding of the command line will be beneficial. If you’re new to the CLI, you might want to acquaint yourself with some fundamental commands.
- 1 GHz processor or higher.
- 1 GB RAM or more.
- 10 GB of available disk space.
- Storage: At least 20 GB of free disk space.
- An active internet connection.
- Administrative privileges are essential for installing and configuring software on your system. Ensure that you have superuser or sudo access.
Install Nginx on Linux Mint 22
Step 1. Update Your Linux Mint System.
Before installing any new software, it’s always a good practice to update your system packages to ensure you have the latest versions and security patches. Open the terminal and run the following command:
sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade
This command will refresh the package list and fetch information about available updates from the configured repositories.
Step 2. Installing Nginx.
Linux Mint 22 includes Nginx in its official repository, making the installation process straightforward. To install Nginx, execute the following command in the terminal:
sudo apt install nginx
Once the installation is complete, you need to start the Nginx service and enable it to automatically start on system boot. Use the following commands:
To start Nginx:
sudo systemctl start nginx
To enable Nginx to start on boot:
sudo systemctl enable nginx
To verify that Nginx is running, run:
sudo systemctl status nginx
If Nginx is running correctly, you will see an output indicating that the service is active and running.
To ensure that Nginx is installed correctly and accessible from a web browser, follow these steps:
nginx -v
Open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost or http://your-server-ip. You should see the default Nginx welcome page, indicating that the web server is up and running.
Step 3. Adjust Firewall Settings.
By default, Linux Mint 22 comes with a firewall (UFW) that blocks incoming traffic. To allow Nginx to serve web pages, you need to configure the firewall to permit HTTP and HTTPS traffic. Run the following command:
sudo ufw allow 'Nginx HTTP'
To verify the firewall settings, use:
sudo ufw status
You should see that Nginx HTTP traffic is allowed.
Step 4. Basic Nginx Configuration
Nginx’s main configuration file is located at /etc/nginx/nginx.conf. This file contains directives that control the global behavior of the web server. To modify the configuration, use a text editor with sudo privileges:
sudo nano /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
Make any necessary changes to the configuration file based on your specific requirements. Be cautious while editing this file, as incorrect configurations can cause Nginx to fail.
Step 5. Setting Up Server Blocks
Server blocks (also known as virtual hosts) allow you to host multiple websites on a single Nginx server. Each website can have its own domain name and configuration. To set up a server block:
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/your_domain/html
Set the appropriate permissions:
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/www/your_domain/html sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/your_domain
Create a sample index.html file in the domain’s directory:
nano /var/www/your_domain/html/index.html
Create a new server block configuration file:
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/your_domain
Enable the server block by creating a symbolic link:
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/your_domain /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
Test the Nginx configuration for any syntax errors:
nginx -t
If no errors are reported, reload Nginx to apply the changes:
sudo systemctl reload nginx
Your server block is now set up, and you can access your website using the configured domain name.
Congratulations! You have successfully installed Nginx. Thanks for using this tutorial to install the latest version of the Nginx web server on the Linux Mint system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official Nginx website.
