Ubuntu Server Cookbook

Setting HTTPs on Nginx

In this recipe, we will learn how to enable HTTPs communication on the Nginx server.

Getting ready

You will need access to a root account or an account with sudo privileges.

How to do it…

Follow these steps to set HTTPs on Nginx:

1. Obtain a certificate and the related keys from a certification authority or create a self-signed certificate. To create a self-signed certificate, refer to the Securing web traffic with HTTPS recipe in this chapter.
2. Create a directory to hold all certificate and keys:

   $ sudo mkdir -p /etc/nginx/ssl/example.com
   

3. Move the certificate and keys to the preceding directory. Choose any secure method, such as SCP, SFTP, or any other.
4. Create a virtual host entry or edit it if you already have one:

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