This Site Can’t Be Reached Let’s Encrypt Nginx
What is Let’s Encrypt and Nginx?
Let’s Encrypt is a free, automated, and open certificate authority (CA), run for the public’s benefit. Let’s Encrypt issues short-lived certificates, and provides an API for making certificate management easy. Let’s Encrypt works on a variety of operating systems and web servers, including Nginx.
Nginx (pronounced “engine x”) is an open source web server that focuses on high performance, stability, and low resource consumption. Nginx is the second most commonly used web server on the web and used by services like YouTube. Nginx is easy to configure and manage, because it works based on a configuration file.
What Causes the Problem?
The issue you are experiencing is because the web server (Nginx) you are using does not have a valid SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate installed, which encrypts communications between the web server and end-users. Without a valid SSL certificate, a browser will display a “This site can’t be reached” message to your website’s visitors.
Another reason you might be seeing this error message is because Nginx does not have the correct configuration settings to serve a certificate. Many times, system administrators fail to configure Nginx to serve both http and https requests (secure requests). Therefore, requests that are meant to be served over https will simply fail.
How to Troubleshoot and Solve the Problem?
The first step is to check that Nginx is properly configured. You can do this by running the following command in your web server’s terminal window:
cat /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default
This will show whether SSL is enabled or not. If it is not, you should add the necessary configuration settings. You can find an example of an Nginx SSL configuration here.
The next step is to obtain and obtain install an SSL certificate. Most web hosts offer free SSL certificates, using a service such as Let’s Encrypt. If your web host does not offer this service, you can apply for a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate. Once you have obtained the SSL certificate, you will need to install it on your web server.
Installing the certificate is relatively straightforward. All you have to do is upload the certificate files to the web server and configure Nginx to serve the certificate. You can find detailed instructions on how to do this here.
What if the Problem still Persists?
If the problem persists, you may need to check that Nginx is properly configured to serve the SSL certificate. For example, if you have manually installed the certificate, you will need to ensure that it is properly configured to serve requests over HTTPS. You can do this by running the following command in your web server’s terminal window:
sudo nginx -t -c /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
This should output the configuration settings for Nginx. If there are any errors, you will need to correct them before Nginx will be able to serve the SSL certificate.
How to Avoid it Happening again?
The best way to avoid this issue happening again is to make sure that you always keep your Nginx configuration up-to-date. If you are using a web host that offers Let’s Encrypt as part of its service, you should make sure that you keep your certificates up-to-date, as your certificate may expire before the recommended renewal time and require manual renewal.
FAQs
Q. How do I configure Nginx to serve a certificate?
A. You can find detailed instructions on how to configure Nginx to serve a certificate here.
Q. How do I obtain an SSL certificate?
A. Most web hosts offer free SSL certificates, using a service such as Let’s Encrypt. If your web host does not offer this service, you can apply for a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate.
Q. How do I check if my SSL certificate is installed correctly?
A. You can check if your SSL certificate is installed correctly by running the following command in your web server’s terminal window: sudo nginx -t -c /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
. This should output the configuration settings for Nginx. If there are any errors, you will need to correct them before Nginx will be able to serve the SSL certificate.
Conclusion
Let’s Encrypt is a free, automated, and open certificate authority (CA), run for the public’s benefit. Nginx (pronounced “engine x”) is an open source web server that focuses on high performance, stability, and low resource consumption. The issue you are experiencing is because the web server (Nginx) you are using does not have a valid SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate installed. The first step is to check that Nginx is properly configured, and then obtain and install an SSL certificate. If the problem persists, you may need to check that Nginx is properly configured to serve the SSL certificate. The best way to avoid this issue happening again is to make sure that you always keep your Nginx configuration up-to-date.
Thank you for reading this article. Please read other articles for more information about Let’s Encrypt and Nginx.
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