Essential Nginx Commands on Ubuntu: Complete Guide for Beginners
Author: Ferry Dermawan
Date:
Tags: nginx, ubuntu
🔧 Service Management
Use sudo
if you're not logged in as root.
Command | Description |
---|---|
sudo systemctl start nginx |
Start the Nginx service |
sudo systemctl stop nginx |
Stop the Nginx service |
sudo systemctl restart nginx |
Restart Nginx and reload all configs |
sudo systemctl reload nginx |
Reload config without dropping active connections |
sudo systemctl status nginx |
Check the current status of Nginx |
sudo systemctl enable nginx |
Enable Nginx to start at boot |
sudo systemctl disable nginx |
Disable Nginx from auto-starting at boot |
⚙️ Configuration & Testing
Command | Description |
---|---|
sudo nginx -t |
Test Nginx configuration for syntax errors |
sudo nginx -s reload |
Reload Nginx via CLI |
sudo nginx -s stop |
Stop Nginx via CLI |
sudo nginx -s quit |
Gracefully shut down Nginx |
nginx -v |
Show Nginx version |
nginx -V |
Show version with build options and modules |
📁 Default Configuration Paths (Ubuntu)
Path | Description |
---|---|
/etc/nginx/nginx.conf |
Main Nginx config file |
/etc/nginx/sites-available/ |
Directory for available virtual host configs |
/etc/nginx/sites-enabled/ |
Directory for enabled sites (symlinked from sites-available ) |
/var/www/html/ |
Default web root directory |
🛠️ Extra Tips
-
After editing the config:
sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx
-
To view logs:
tail -f /var/log/nginx/access.log tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log