Nginx Config Update Checklist and Summary Complete Guide for Node.js

Nginx Config Update Checklist and Summary

This is a complete guide to all the Nginx config updates you'll need for your Node.js application.

Updates by Stage

Initial Deployment

• Create server block (listen 80, server_name)
• proxy_pass to localhost:3000
• proxy_set_header Host, X-Real-IP, X-Forwarded-For, X-Forwarded-Proto
• Remove default site
• Test and reload

Adding SSL

• Install certbot
• Run certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com
• Verify HTTPS works
• Set up auto-renewal (certbot renew --dry-run)

Adding WebSocket (Socket.io)

• Add /socket.io/ location block
• Add proxy_http_version 1.1
• Add Upgrade and Connection headers
• Set proxy_read_timeout 86400s

Adding Frontend (Static Files)

• Add server block for frontend domain
• Set root to build directory
• Add try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html
• Add static file caching (expires 1y)

Performance Updates

• Enable gzip compression
• Cache static files
• Set worker_processes auto, worker_connections 2048
• Enable keep-alive
• Enable HTTP/2
• Add proxy buffering
• Disable access_log for static files

Security Updates

• Add security headers (HSTS, X-Frame-Options, CSP)
• Set server_tokens off
• Add rate limiting
• Set client_max_body_size
• Block hidden files
• Add short timeouts (prevent slowloris)
• Restrict admin access by IP

Load Balancing

• Create upstream block
• Add ip_hash for WebSocket
• Add health checks (max_fails, fail_timeout)
• Add/remove instances as needed

The Update Process (Always)

# 1. Back up
sudo cp /etc/nginx/sites-available/devtinder /etc/nginx/sites-available/devtinder.bak

# 2. Edit
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/devtinder

# 3. Test
sudo nginx -t

# 4. Reload (zero downtime)
sudo systemctl reload nginx

# 5. Verify
sudo systemctl status nginx
curl -I https://yourdomain.com
sudo tail -5 /var/log/nginx/error.log

# 6. Rollback if needed
sudo cp /etc/nginx/sites-available/devtinder.bak /etc/nginx/sites-available/devtinder
sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx

Common Update Scenarios

Add a New Subdomain

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name admin.yourdomain.com;
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3001;
    }
}

sudo certbot --nginx -d admin.yourdomain.com

Increase Rate Limit

limit_req_zone $binary_remote_addr zone=api:10m rate=20r/s;  # Was 10r/s

Add a New Backend Instance

upstream backend {
    server 127.0.0.1:3000;
    server 127.0.0.1:3001;  # New
}

Change Upload Limit

client_max_body_size 20M;  # Was 10M

The Takeaway

Nginx config updates are categorized by stage: initial deployment, SSL, WebSocket, frontend, performance, security, and load balancing. The update process is always the same: back up, edit, test (nginx -t), reload (zero downtime), verify, and rollback if needed. Version-control your config, automate with scripts, and document all changes. This ensures your Node.js deployment stays secure, performant, and available.