How To Install Nginx on openSUSE

In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Nginx on openSUSE. Nginx, a high-performance HTTP server and reverse proxy, has become a popular choice for web applications due to its scalability and robustness. This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough on installing Nginx on openSUSE, a powerful Linux distribution known for its stability and flexibility. Whether you’re a system administrator or a developer, understanding how to install and configure Nginx is a valuable skill.

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 on openSUSE.

Prerequisites

• A server running one of the following operating systems: openSUSE.
• It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
• You will need access to the terminal to execute commands. openSUSE provides the Terminal application for this purpose. It can be found in your Applications menu.
• You’ll need an active internet connection to download Nginx and its dependencies.
• A non-root sudo user or access to the root user. We recommend acting as a non-root sudo user, however, as you can harm your system if you’re not careful when acting as the root.

Install Nginx on openSUSE

Step 1. Before diving into the installation process, ensure you’re logged into your openSUSE server via SSH. Once logged in, it’s a good practice to update the system packages. Use the following command to do so:

sudo zypper refresh
sudo zypper update

Step 2. Installing Nginx on openSUSE.

To install Nginx, first search for the package using the zypper or cnf command:

zypper search nginx

Then, install Nginx with the following command:

sudo zypper install nginx

After installation, manage the Nginx service using the systemctl command. To start, stop, or restart the Nginx service, use the following commands respectively:

sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl stop nginx
sudo systemctl restart nginx

To verify that Nginx is running and that TCP port 80 is open, use the following command:

sudo systemctl status nginx

Step 3. Configuration Nginx.

The main Nginx configuration file is located at /etc/nginx/nginx.conf. This controls global settings, events, HTTP parameters, logging, and includes additional config files for servers and locations. For a basic setup, you may only need to modify:

• /etc/nginx/nginx.conf – Global settings
• /etc/nginx/conf.d/*.conf – Server blocks
• /etc/nginx/default.d/*.conf – Location blocks

Make sure to check the syntax of files before reloading:

sudo nginx -t

Step 4. Configure Firewall.

Additionally, openSUSE uses FirewallD to manage firewall rules. To allow HTTP traffic, use the following command:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Step 5. Troubleshooting.

Some common issues and how to resolve them:

• Nginx failed to start – Check the syntax of the config files. Also, verify the correct ports are open.
• Site not reachable – Confirm Nginx is running and double-check the server block configuration. Try accessing it directly via an IP address.
• 403 Forbidden – File permissions under /var/lib/nginx are likely incorrect. Set ownership to wwwrun:www.
• 404 Not Found – The server is up but cannot find the requested file or directory. Double-check location blocks.
• 502 Bad Gateway – This is typically caused by incorrect proxy/FastCGI params or upstream server issues.
• 504 Gateway Timeout – Usually the upstream server is not responding. Can also be caused by proxy/FastCGI timeout settings.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Nginx. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing the Nginx web server on your openSUSE system. For additional or useful information, we recommend you check the official Nginx website.