Would you like to learn how to install Nginx and configure the HTTPS feature to use a self-signed certificate on a computer running Ubuntu Linux? In this tutorial, we are going to enable the use of HTTPS on the Nginx server and create a self-signed certificate.

• Ubuntu 18
• Ubuntu 19
• Ubuntu 20
• Nginx 1.18.0

Equipment list

The following section presents the list of equipment used to create this tutorial.

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Tutorial Nginx – Enable HTTPS

Install the Nginx server and the required packages.

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Create a private key and the website certificate using the OpenSSL command.

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Enter the requested information.

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On the option named COMMON_NAME, you need to enter the IP address or hostname.

In our example, we used the IP address 200.200.200.2000.

Edit the Nginx configuration file for the default website.

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Here is the file, before our configuration.

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Here is the file, after our configuration.

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Optionally, you may want to redirect HTTP users to the HTTPS version of your website.

In this case, use the following configuration.

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Restart the Nginx service.

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Open your browser and access the HTTPS version of your website.

In our example, the following URL was entered in the Browser:

• https://200.200.200.200

The Nginx server will display the HTTPS version of your website.

nginx welcome

Congratulations! You have finished the configuration of HTTPS on the Nginx server.