How To Configure Https In Nginx
Introduction
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is the most secure and reliable way to communicate on the web. Although HTTP is still the most used protocol for web communication, HTTPS is becoming increasingly popular. This is because of the encryption it provides, which helps protect sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers. HTTPS is also important for other reasons, such as authentication and data integrity. So it is important to have HTTPS properly configured in your web server.
In this tutorial, we will be discussing how to configure HTTPS in the Nginx web server. Nginx is one of the most popular and powerful web servers available, and it is used by many of the world’s largest websites. We will cover the steps required to setup HTTPS, including generating and installing SSL certificates. We will also discuss how to make sure your website is secure and that all incoming traffic is being encrypted.
What Is An SSL Certificate?
An SSL certificate is a file that contains information about a website’s identity, such as its domain name and domain owner. It also contains information about the Certificate Authority (CA) that issued the certificate, as well as an encrypted portion that can be used to verify the certificate’s authenticity. When a browser connects to a website, it will check the website’s SSL certificate to make sure it is valid and coming from the correct domain.
SSL certificates can be purchased from commercial CAs such as Comodo and DigiCert. They will generate the certificate and sign it with their private key, which is then used to verify the identity of the certificate. Once the certificate is signed and valid, the website can be accessed via HTTPS.
Configuring Nginx To Use SSL
Once you have purchased an SSL certificate from a trusted CA, you must configure your Nginx server to use the certificate. This can be done by editing the Nginx configuration file, which is usually located in the /etc/nginx/ directory. Go to this directory, and open the main configuration file, usually named “nginx.conf”.
In the “server” section, you must specify the SSL certificate and key. These should be specified using absolute paths, e.g. /etc/ssl/certs/domain.crt and /etc/ssl/private/domain.key. If you do not have a private key, you can generate one using OpenSSL. You must also specify the SSL protocol version – SSLv3 is normally sufficient. For more information on the options available, see the official Nginx documentation.
Once you have specified the certificate and key, you must edit the “server” section to make sure the SSL module is enabled. Again, this can be done by adding the “ssl_module” directive. Finally, you must specify the virtual hosts you want to use HTTPS on by adding the “listen 443” directive. All of these changes should be made in the “server” section.
Configuring SSL Protocols and Ciphers
After you have enabled SSL in Nginx, you must also specify which protocols and ciphers it should use. The protocols and ciphers used will determine how secure your website is – if you use an obsolete and/or insecure protocol or cipher, your website’s security will be compromised. It is therefore important to make sure you use only the most secure protocols and ciphers.
The protocols you should use (in order of preference) are TLSv1.2, TLSv1.1, and TLSv1. The ciphers you should use are ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384, ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256, and DHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384. You can specify these in the “server” section of the Nginx configuration file by adding the “ssl_protocols” and “ssl_ciphers” directives. Again, see the official Nginx documentation for more information.
Securing Your Website
Once you have configured Nginx to use SSL, you must also make sure your website is secure. Make sure you are running the latest version of the web server, and also the latest version of any web applications you are using (such as WordPress). Make sure all your page content is served over HTTPS, and redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS. You should also consider using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to protect your website from malicious traffic.
You should also regularly check your website for vulnerabilities. Tools such as OpenVAS can be used to scan your website for known vulnerabilities, and any problems should be addressed immediately. You should also check the SSL configuration of your website, to make sure it is using strong protocols and ciphers.
Conclusion
HTTPS is increasingly becoming the default protocol for web communication, and it is important to make sure it is configured correctly. We have discussed how to configure HTTPS in Nginx, including generating and installing SSL certificates and configuring SSL protocols and ciphers. We have also discussed how to make sure your website is secure, and how to check for potential vulnerabilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I purchase an SSL certificate?
A: You can purchase an SSL certificate from a commercial Certificate Authority (CA). Popular CAs include Comodo and DigiCert.
Q: How do I generate a private key?
A: You can generate a private key using OpenSSL. See the official OpenSSL documentation for more information.
Q: How do I check my website for vulnerabilities?
A: You can use tools such as OpenVAS to scan your website for known vulnerabilities. Make sure to periodically scan your website to check for any new issues.
Thank you for reading this article. We hope you have found it useful. Please read more of our articles for more helpful tips and information.
Related Posts:
- Certbot Centos 7 Nginx Certificate Invalid Certbot Centos 7 Nginx Certificate Invalid What is Certbot & Centos 7 Nginx Certificate? Certbot is an open-source software project from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). It enables website owners…
- Redirect Port 80 To 443 Nginx Redirect Port 80 To 443 Nginx What Is Port 80 And What Is It Used For? Port 80 is a standard port for HTTP communication from the Internet to web…
- Setup Comodo Positive Ssl Nginx Setup Comodo Positive SSL Nginx Introduction to Comodo Positive SSL Comodo Positive SSL is an encrypted certificate issued by Comodo, a leading provider of security certificates. It helps to make…
- Nginx Reverse Proxy To Https Backend Nginx Reverse Proxy to HTTPS Backend What is a Reverse Proxy? Reverse proxies are an important component of computing networks. A reverse proxy is a web server that offloads workloads,…
- Setting Ssl Nginx Multiple Port Setting SSL Nginx Multiple Port What is SSL? Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a protocol used to secure data transmitted between two systems, such as a web server and a…
- Nginx Force Https Redirect 301 Nginx Force Https Redirect 301 What is Nginx Force Https Redirect 301? Nginx Force Https Redirect 301 is an important feature of the Nginx web-server. This feature can be used…
- Nginx Http Proxy Http 1.1 Nginx Http Proxy Http 1.1 What is Nginx Http Proxy? Nginx Http Proxy is an open-source web server used to serve web resources such as images, static files, and dynamic…
- Where To Put Crt File In Nginx Where To Put Crt File In Nginx What Is an SSL Certificate and Why Do You Need It? An SSL certificate is an encryption layer that helps to ensure secure…
- Nginx Static Location For Multiple Django Nginx Static Location For Multiple Django What is Nginx? Nginx is an open source web server written in C that is well-known for its performance and speed. Nginx is one…
- Ubuntu 16.04 Nginx Letsencrypt Ubuntu 16.04: A Comprehensive Guide to Nginx and Letsencrypt What is Nginx? Nginx is a web server and an open-source reverse proxy server for HTTP, HTTPS, and other protocols. It…
- Certbot Nginx Cannot Find Name Certbot Nginx Cannot Find Name What is Certbot? Certbot is an open-source software to obtain free HTTPS/SSL certificates from Let's Encrypt. Certbot is designed to automate the process of setting…
- Use Https As Default Nginx Use HTTPS as Default Nginx What is Nginx? Nginx is an open-source, high-performance, extensible web server and reverse proxy. It can be used as a web server to serve static…
- Install Web Server Nginx Centos 7 Install Web Server Nginx Centos 7 Introduction Are you looking for a way to set up a web server on your Linux-based system? If so, then installing Nginx on CentOS…
- Perfect Server Ubuntu 18.04 Nginx Perfect Server Ubuntu 18.04 Nginx 1. Introduction Ubuntu is one of the most popular Linux distributions. It is popular due to its user friendliness and availability of excellent free software…
- Nginx Was Loaded Over Https But Requested An… Nginx Was Loaded Over Https But Requested an Insecure Stylesheet Understanding the Problem When the Nginx webserver is loaded over HTTPS, the server is expected to make secure connections with…
- Https Nginx.Rsupksndou.Com 18700 HTTPS Nginx.Rsupksndou.Com 18700 What is an HTTPS connection? HTTPS is a secure protocol for accessing the web. It's similar to the standard HTTP protocol but with an added layer of…
- Disable Http Redirected To Https On Nginx Disable HTTP Redirected to HTTPS on Nginx What is HTTPS Redirection? HTTPS redirection is a method used by websites to ensure that users are connected to the secure https protocol…
- Nginx Listen Port 8080 With Ssl Nginx Listen Port 8080 With SSL Understanding Nginx Nginx (pronounced Engine-X) is a high-performance web server that is used for serving static content such as images, stylesheets and JavaScript. It…
- Https Www.Canva.Com Etc Nginx Nginx.Conf What is HTTPS www.canva.com etc nginx nginx.conf? HTTPS www.canva.com etc nginx nginx.conf is a configuration file that provides instructions to the web server software regarding how to handle requests from…
- Virtualhost Nginx Ubuntu 16.04 Virtualhost Nginx Ubuntu 16.04 Introduction to Virtualhost Virtualhost is a software configuration option in web servers including Apache, Nginx, and more that allows a web server to host multiple web…
- Remove Apache And Install Nginx Remove Apache And Install Nginx What is Apache and Nginx? Apache and Nginx are both popular web servers used to serve web pages and content to users on the web.…
- Nginx Location Header Http To Https Nginx Location Header HTTP to HTTPS What Is Nginx? Nginx (pronounced "engine-x") is an open source web server software designed to handle high traffic websites and applications. It is a…
- Ssl Directive Is Deprecated Nginx Ssl Directive Is Deprecated Nginx What is SSL Directive? SSL Directive is a type of configuration instruction supported by the web server software Nginx. It is used to enable secure…
- Nginx Listen To Differnt Port Nginx Listen To Differnt Port What is Nginx? Nginx is an open-source web server software used to serve content to the web. It is used to host web applications and…
- Virtual Host Nginx Ubuntu 16.04 Virtual Host Nginx Ubuntu 16.04 Introduction A virtual host (also known as Virtual Private Server or VPS) is a service that allows a single physical server to host multiple websites.…
- Can I Use Nginx For Cpanel Can I Use Nginx For Cpanel? What is Nginx and What Does it Do for Cpanel? Nginx is an open source web server and reverse proxy created by Igor Sysoev…
- How To Redirect Https Ip Address To Domain Name Nginx How To Redirect Https Ip Address To Domain Name Nginx Overview of IP Address and Domain Name Redirection When you are connected to the internet, your computer's public IP address…
- How To Install Lets Encrypt On Centos 7 Nginx How To Install Lets Encrypt On Centos 7 Nginx Purpose of Lets Encrypt Lets Encrypt is a free and open-source encryption certificate authority that provides digital certificates to website owners…
- Nginx Ssl Configuration Ubuntu 18.04 Nginx Ssl Configuration Ubuntu 18.04 What is Nginx? Nginx is an open source web server and reverse proxy software. It is used to manage web traffic on the internet, like…
- Nginx Redirect Non-Www To Www Nginx Redirect Non-Www to Www Overview of WWWs and Non-WWWs In the world of domains, there are two ways to access a website: with the WWW prefix and without it,…