[Day 4] 5. Reverse Proxy Setup with Nginx and Apache

In this setup, we'll use Nginx as a reverse proxy in front of an Apache server. The flow looks like this:

Client → Nginx → Apache → Nginx → Client

Machines:

• Nginx (VM1) IP:
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  192.168.80.128

• Apache (VM2) IP:
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  192.168.80.130

Steps:

1. Install Nginx on VM1:

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   sudo apt-get install nginx
   sudo systemctl enable --now nginx
   

2. Check Apache and Nginx installation:

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   sudo which apache2
   sudo which nginx
   

3. Configure Nginx:

   • Remove any existing configurations:

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     sudo rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/*
     

   • Create a new configuration file:

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     sudo vim /etc/nginx/sites-available/rp.conf
     

   • Add the following configuration to

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     rp.conf

     :

     plaintextCopy
     server {
         listen 80;
         location / {
             proxy_pass http://192.168.0.130;  # Apache server IP
         }
     }
     

   • Explanation:

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       location /

       : Specifies the root URL.
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       proxy_pass

       : Redirects incoming requests to the Apache server at
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       http://192.168.0.130

       .

4. Create a symbolic link for the configuration:

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   sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/rp.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
   

5. Test the Nginx configuration:

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   sudo nginx -t -c /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
   

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     -t

     : Tests the configuration.
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     -c

     : Specifies the configuration file.

6. Ensure Apache is running: Make sure the Apache server is running on VM2 (

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   192.168.0.130

   ).

This setup configures Nginx as a reverse proxy that forwards requests to the Apache server. The Nginx server listens on port 80, and any incoming requests are passed to the Apache server running on VM2.