Nginx is a powerful web server and reverse proxy server that is widely used for hosting websites and applications. While it is traditionally associated with Unix-based systems, it can also be installed and configured on Windows. This article will guide you through the process of setting up Nginx on a Windows system, including how to modify the default configuration file to suit your needs.

Examples:

1. Downloading and Installing Nginx on Windows:

   • First, download the latest stable version of Nginx for Windows from the official website: Nginx Downloads.
   • Extract the downloaded ZIP file to a directory of your choice, e.g., C:\nginx.

2. Running Nginx:

   • Open Command Prompt (CMD) or PowerShell with administrative privileges.
   • Navigate to the Nginx directory:

     cd C:\nginx

   • Start Nginx by running:

     start nginx

3. Default Configuration File:

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

4. Basic Configuration Adjustments:

   • By default, Nginx listens on port 80. You can change this by modifying the listen directive:

     server {
      listen       8080;
      server_name  localhost;
      ...
     }

   • To serve a different directory, change the root directive:

     server {
      ...
      root   C:/path/to/your/web/content;
      ...
     }

5. Testing Configuration Changes:

   • After making changes to the configuration file, you need to reload Nginx to apply them:

     nginx -s reload

   • Check the status of Nginx to ensure it is running correctly:

     tasklist /fi "imagename eq nginx.exe"

6. Stopping Nginx:

   • To stop Nginx, use the following command:

     nginx -s stop