Nginx Config Generator

Build a ready-to-use Nginx server block for reverse-proxying an app or serving a static site, with HTTPS redirect, gzip, and www handling.

ModeDomainProxy target

HTTPS (with HTTP → HTTPS redirect)Also match www subdomainEnable gzip compression

nginx.conf

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    server_name example.com www.example.com;
    return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    listen [::]:443 ssl http2;
    server_name example.com www.example.com;

    ssl_certificate     /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem;
    ssl_protocols TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3;
    ssl_ciphers HIGH:!aNULL:!MD5;

    gzip on;
    gzip_vary on;
    gzip_types text/plain text/css application/json application/javascript text/xml application/xml application/xml+rss text/javascript;
    gzip_min_length 256;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
    }
}

Assumes certificates are already issued (e.g. via Certbot/Let's Encrypt) at the paths shown. Test with nginx -t before reloading, and adjust paths to match your actual server setup.

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Frequently asked questions

Does this include SSL certificates?+

No, it references certificate paths (as issued by Certbot/Let's Encrypt, for example) but doesn't generate or install certificates itself.

What's the difference between the two modes?+

"Reverse proxy" forwards requests to a running app (like a Node.js or Next.js server); "static site" serves pre-built HTML/CSS/JS files directly from disk.

How do I apply this config?+

Save it as a file under /etc/nginx/sites-available/, symlink it into sites-enabled/, run nginx -t to validate, then reload Nginx.