Nginx is a powerful, open-source web server and reverse proxy server that is widely used for its performance and scalability. While Nginx is traditionally associated with Unix-like systems, it can also be installed and configured on Windows. This article will guide you through the process of setting up and configuring Nginx on a Windows environment, including how to modify the default configuration file.

Examples:

1. Installing Nginx on Windows:

   • Download the latest stable version of Nginx for Windows from the official Nginx website.
   • Extract the downloaded ZIP file to a directory of your choice, e.g., C:\nginx.
   • Open Command Prompt as an administrator and navigate to the Nginx directory:

     cd C:\nginx

   • Start Nginx by running:

     start nginx

2. Accessing the Default Configuration File:

   • The default configuration file for Nginx is located in the conf directory within the Nginx installation directory, typically C:\nginx\conf\nginx.conf.
   • Open the nginx.conf file using a text editor like Notepad or Notepad++:

     notepad C:\nginx\conf\nginx.conf

3. Basic Configuration Changes:

   • To change the default server block, locate the following section in nginx.conf:

     server {
      listen       80;
      server_name  localhost;
     
      location / {
          root   html;
          index  index.html index.htm;
      }
     
      error_page   500 502 503 504  /50x.html;
      location = /50x.html {
          root   html;
      }
     }

   • Modify the root directive to point to the directory where your website files are located. For example, if your website files are in C:\nginx\html, you would set:

     root   C:\nginx\html;

4. Restarting Nginx:

   • After making changes to the configuration file, you need to restart Nginx to apply the changes. In Command Prompt, navigate to the Nginx directory and run:

     nginx -s reload