nginx: Setup SSL Reverse Proxy (Load Balanced SSL Proxy)

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To set up a reverse proxy with SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) on Nginx, you’ll need to follow these steps:

  1. Install and configure Nginx: First, you’ll need to install Nginx on your server and configure it as a reverse proxy. You can follow the official Nginx installation guide for your Linux distribution to install Nginx.
  2. Generate SSL certificates: You’ll need SSL certificates to secure your reverse proxy. You can use a free service like Let’s Encrypt to generate SSL certificates for your domain. Follow the instructions for your server’s operating system to install and configure Let’s Encrypt.
  3. Configure Nginx for SSL: Once you have your SSL certificates, you’ll need to configure Nginx to use them. Edit the Nginx configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf and add the following lines to enable SSL:
http {
# Add these lines to the top of the http block
ssl_certificate /path/to/ssl/cert;
ssl_certificate_key /path/to/ssl/key;
}
  1. Configure Nginx as a reverse proxy: Next, you’ll need to configure Nginx as a reverse proxy for your backend servers. Add the following lines to your Nginx configuration file:
http {
upstream backend {
server backend1.example.com;
server backend2.example.com;
}

server {
listen 443;
server_name example.com;

ssl on;

location / {
proxy_pass http://backend;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
}
}
}

In this example, the upstream block defines the list of backend servers. The server block defines the reverse proxy server, listening on port 443 for SSL traffic. The location block defines the URL path that the reverse proxy will handle, and the proxy_pass directive specifies the backend servers to forward requests to.

  1. Test the reverse proxy: Restart Nginx to apply the new configuration, then test the reverse proxy by accessing it from a web browser using the domain name you specified in the server_name directive. You should be able to access your backend servers through the reverse proxy over SSL.

Note that this is a basic configuration, and you may need to adjust it to suit your specific needs. Consult the Nginx documentation for more information on configuring SSL and reverse proxies.

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