Ubuntu Server 23.10

How to Configure SSL for Nginx on Ubuntu 23.10

Configuring SSL for Nginx on Ubuntu 23.10 involves several steps, including installing OpenSSL, generating SSL certificates, and configuring Nginx to use those certificates. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Step 1 : Install OpenSSL

Ensure that OpenSSL is installed on your server. If it's not installed, you can install it using the following command:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install openssl

Step 2 : Generate SSL Certificates. For testing or development environments, generate self-signed certificates with the following command:

sudo openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 365 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout /etc/ssl/private/example.com.key -out /etc/ssl/certs/example.com.crt

Step 3 : Configure Nginx to Use SSL

Open your Nginx configuration file, located at /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com

Modify the server block to include SSL configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com www.example.com;

    # Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
    return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name example.com www.example.com;

    ssl_certificate /etc/ssl/certs/example.com.crt; # Path to your SSL certificate
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/ssl/private/example.com.key; # Path to your private key

    root /var/www/example.com/html;
    index index.html;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
    }
}

Replace example.com and www.example.com with your domain or IP address.

Step 4 : Create a symbolic link to enable the site:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Step 5 : Test Nginx Configuration

Ensure your Nginx configuration is error-free:

sudo nginx -t

If successful, restart Nginx:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 6 : Firewall Configuration (if applicable)

If you're using a firewall, make sure to allow traffic on ports 80 and 443. If you're using UFW, you can use the following commands:

sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'

Step 7 : Access Your Site and Verify SSL

Visit your site using https://example.com and ensure everything is working correctly. If you encounter SSL-related errors or warnings, you can bypass them for testing purposes.

Congratulations! Your Nginx server should be configured to use SSL