Nginx Read Php Files Outside Root

Understanding the Basics of Nginx

Nginx is an open source web server and HTTP proxy server originally developed by Igor Sysoev. It can be used to provide various functions, including web hosting, proxying, caching, and load balancing. Nginx is renowned for its speed, scalability, and stability. It is generally considered to be the best option for web hosting, and is preferred by many major web hosting providers. It has also been used to power some of the world’s busiest websites, such as Wikipedia, Reddit, and Netflix.

Nginx is written in C, and has the capability to natively serve PHP files. It is optimized to serve static files, however it can also execute dynamic content including scripts written in PHP. That makes it a powerful, yet flexible platform for web hosting.

Configuring Nginx to Read PHP Files Outside Root

By default, Nginx will serve files from the web root directory specified in its configuration file. This default directory can be changed, however, to allow Nginx to read PHP files that are located outside of the web root directory.

In order to do this, the location directive needs to be used. This directive allows Nginx to specify a different location for specific requests. In this case, the directive must be used to specify the location of the PHP files that the server needs to read.

For example, Nginx can be configured to serve all requests for URLs beginning with ‘/data/’ from the directory ‘data’. The configuration directive would look something like this:

location /data/ {
root /data/;
}

This configuration would cause Nginx to read any file within the directory ‘/data/’ that is requested via an HTTP request beginning with ‘/data/’. For example, if a user requested the URL ‘http://example.com/data/file.php’, Nginx would look for the file ‘/data/file.php’.

Benefits of Using the Location Directive

Using the location directive has several benefits. Most notably, it increases security. Since the PHP files are located outside of the web root directory, they cannot be accessed directly via a URL. This means that users will not be able to view or alter the contents of the files.

The location directive also allows multiple web sites to be hosted off of the same server. This is particularly useful for web hosting companies or other organizations that need to host multiple domains. For example, two domains could be hosted off of the same server, with one domain having its own root directory, while the other domain could reference a different directory. This would enable each domain to have its own set of PHP files without having to duplicate the files.

Using .htaccess to Rearrange File Mapping

In addition to using the location directive, Nginx can also be configured to rearrange the file mapping for PHP files. This can be done using the .htaccess file. The .htaccess file is a configuration file that is used by Apache and other web servers. It can be used to define various configuration settings, including the rewrite of URLs.

For example, if a user requested the URL ‘http://example.com/data/file.php’, the .htaccess file could be used to rewrite the URL to ‘http://example.com/file.php’. This would cause Nginx to look for the file ‘/data/file.php’ rather than ‘file.php’ in the web root directory.

Configuring Nginx to Use the .htaccess File

In order to configure Nginx to use the .htaccess file, the directive ‘include’ needs to be added to the server configuration file. This directive will tell Nginx to look for the .htaccessfile in the specified directory. For example:

include /data/.htaccess;

This directive must be added before any location directives in order for these directives to take effect.

Conclusion

Nginx can be easily configured to read PHP files that are located outside of the web root directory. This can be done using the location directive, or by using the .htaccess file. Configuring Nginx to read PHP files from outside of the web root directory has the benefit of increased security, as well as allowing multiple web sites to be hosted on the same server without having to duplicate files.

FAQs

Q. Why Should I Use Nginx to Read PHP Files Outside Root?

A. Nginx is an open source web server that is optimized to serve static files, however it can also execute dynamic content including scripts written in PHP. Using Nginx to read PHP files outside of the root directory has the benefit of increased security, as well as allowing multiple web sites to be hosted on the same server without having to duplicate files.

Q. How Does Nginx Treat .htaccess Files?

A. Nginx can be configured to read .htaccess files. In order for Nginx to read the .htaccess file, the directive ‘include’ needs to be added to the server configuration file. This directive will tell Nginx to look for the .htaccess file in the specified directory.

Q. Is Nginx Compatible With Other Web Servers?

A. Nginx is compatible with many other web servers such as Apache. It can be used to proxy requests from other web servers, and can also be used in conjunction with other web servers.

Thank you for reading this article. Please read other articles about Nginx and web hosting related topics.