Setting up and configuring NGINX on a fresh Ubuntu server

1. Introduction
This documentation outlines the steps taken to set up and configure NGINX on a fresh Ubuntu server. The goal was to create a functional web server capable of serving a simple HTML page.

2. Prerequisites

An AWS EC2 instance running Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.
SSH access to the server using a .pem key pair.
Basic familiarity with the Linux command line.

3. Step-by-Step Process
Step 1: Provision the Ubuntu Server

Create an EC2 Instance:

Log in to the AWS Management Console.
Launch an EC2 instance with the following specifications:
- AMI: Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS
- Instance Type: t2.micro (free tier eligible)
- Storage: 8 GB (default)
Configure the security group to allow SSH (port 22) and HTTP (port 80) traffic.
Download the .pem key pair for SSH access.

2. Connect to the Server:

Use SSH to connect to the server:

ssh -i /path/to/your-key.pem ubuntu@your_server_public_ip

Step 2: Install NGINX

1. Update the package list:

sudo apt update

2. Install NGINX:

sudo apt install nginx

3. Verify the installation:

nginx -v

Step 3: Configure NGINX

1. Start and enable NGINX:

sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

2. Check the status of NGINX:

sudo systemctl status nginx

3. Open the default NGINX configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

4. Modify the configuration to serve a simple HTML page:

Update the root directive to /var/www/html.
Ensure the index directive includes index.html.
Example configuration:

server {
    listen 80 default_server;
    listen [::]:80 default_server;

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

    server_name _;

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

5. Save and exit the editor (Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X)

Step 4: Create a Simple HTML Page

Create the HTML directory:
```
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/html
```
Create an index.html file:
```
sudo nano /var/www/html/index.html
```

Add the following HTML content:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Welcome to My Server!</title>
</head>
<body>
<p>Welcome to DevOps Stage 0 - Felix Mukah/Felix Mukah</p>
</body>
</html>

Save and exit the editor.

Step 5: Test the Configuration

Test the NGINX configuration for syntax errors:
```
sudo nginx -t
```
Reload NGINX to apply the changes:
```
sudo systemctl reload nginx
```
Open a web browser and navigate to your server’s public IP address:

http://your_server_public_ip

You should see the HTML page you created.

4. Verification
NGINX Status: Confirmed NGINX is running using sudo systemctl status nginx.

Web Page: Verified the HTML page is accessible via the server’s public IP.

5. Challenges and Solutions
Challenge: Initially, the .pem file was not recognized by PuTTYgen on Windows.

Solution: Converted the .pem file to .ppk using PuTTYgen and successfully connected to the server.

6. Conclusion
This project successfully demonstrated the setup and configuration of NGINX on a fresh Ubuntu server. The server is now capable of serving a simple HTML page over HTTP. This foundational knowledge can be expanded to host dynamic websites, implement SSL/TLS, and explore advanced NGINX features.

7. References