Directives and blocks in Nginx - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to set the server listening port to 8080.

Nginx

server {
    listen [1];
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A3000

B8080

C443

D80

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using port 80 instead of 8080

Putting the port in quotes

The listen directive sets the port the server listens on. Here, 8080 is the correct port.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to define the root directory for the server.

Nginx

server {
    root [1];
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A/etc/nginx

B/usr/local/bin

C/var/www/html

D/home/user

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using system config directories like /etc/nginx

Using user home directories

The root directive sets the directory where the server looks for files. /var/www/html is the common web root.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the location block to serve static files from /static.

Nginx

server {
    location /static/ [1]
        root /var/www/html;
    }
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A<

B(

C[

D{

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using parentheses or brackets instead of curly braces

Missing the opening brace

Blocks in nginx configuration use curly braces { }. The location block must start with {.

4fill in blank

hard

Complete the code to create a server block that listens on port 80 and serves files from /usr/share/nginx/html.

Nginx

server {
    listen [1];
    root /usr/share/nginx/html;
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A{

B8080

C80

D(

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using wrong brace types

Setting listen to wrong port

The server block starts with a curly brace { and the listen directive should be set to port 80 for HTTP.

5fill in blank

hard

Complete the code to create a location block that matches /images/, uses alias to /data/images, and closes the block properly.

Nginx

location /images/ {
    alias [1];
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A{

B/data/images

C}

D(

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using parentheses instead of braces

Forgetting to close the block

Using root instead of alias

The location block starts with {, uses the alias directive to point to the directory, and ends with }.

Practice

1. What is the main difference between a directive and a block in an nginx configuration?

easy

A. A directive groups multiple blocks; a block is a single instruction ending with a semicolon.

B. A directive is a single instruction ending with a semicolon; a block groups multiple directives inside curly braces.

C. A directive is used only for server settings; a block is used only for location settings.

D. A directive must always contain a block inside it.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand directive syntax

   A directive is a single instruction that ends with a semicolon in nginx configuration.

2. Step 2: Understand block syntax

   A block groups multiple directives inside curly braces to organize related settings.

3. Final Answer:

   A directive is a single instruction ending with a semicolon; a block groups multiple directives inside curly braces. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Directive = single instruction; Block = group of directives [OK]

Hint: Directives end with ; blocks use { } to group [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing directives with blocks
• Thinking blocks end with semicolon
• Assuming directives can contain blocks

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax for an nginx directive?

easy

A. listen 80;

B. server { listen 80 }

C. location / { listen 80 }

D. listen 80

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify directive syntax

   A directive must end with a semicolon and is a single instruction.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   listen 80; ends with a semicolon and is a single instruction: listen 80;.

3. Final Answer:

   listen 80; -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Directive ends with ; [OK]

Hint: Directives always end with a semicolon ; [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting semicolon at end
• Using curly braces for directives
• Mixing block syntax with directive

3. Given this nginx configuration snippet, what will happen when a request is made to /images?

location /images/ {
    root /data;
    autoindex on;
}

medium

A. Nginx will return a 404 error because root is incorrectly used.

B. Nginx will serve files from /images/ directory on the server root.

C. Nginx will redirect requests to /data/images/ automatically.

D. Nginx will serve files from /data/images/ and show a directory listing if no index file exists.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the location block

   The location block matches requests starting with /images/.

2. Step 2: Interpret the root directive

   Root sets the base directory to /data, so files are served from /data/images/.

3. Step 3: Effect of autoindex on

   If no index file exists, nginx shows a directory listing.

4. Final Answer:

   Nginx will serve files from /data/images/ and show a directory listing if no index file exists. -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   location + root + autoindex = serve files with listing [OK]

Hint: root sets base path; autoindex shows directory listing [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing root with alias
• Assuming redirect happens automatically
• Ignoring autoindex effect

4. Identify the error in this nginx configuration snippet:

server {
    listen 80
    server_name example.com;
}

medium

A. listen directive should be inside location block.

B. server_name directive cannot be inside server block.

C. Missing semicolon after listen 80 directive.

D. Curly braces are missing around listen directive.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check syntax of directives

   Each directive must end with a semicolon in nginx configuration.

2. Step 2: Locate missing semicolon

   The listen 80 directive is missing a semicolon at the end.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing semicolon after listen 80 directive. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Every directive ends with ; [OK]

Hint: Check every directive ends with ; [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting semicolon at directive end
• Misplacing directives outside server block
• Adding unnecessary braces

5. You want to configure nginx to serve static files from /var/www/html for all requests under /static/. Which configuration block correctly achieves this?

hard

A. location /static/ {
alias /var/www/html/;
}

B. location /static {
alias /var/www/html;
}

C. location /static/ {
root /var/www/html;
}

D. location /static/ {
root /var/www/html/;
}

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand root vs alias

   Root appends the request URI to the root path; alias replaces the location prefix with the alias path.

2. Step 2: Match location and alias usage

   For prefix locations ending with /, alias must end with / to correctly map paths.

3. Step 3: Evaluate options

   location /static/ { alias /var/www/html/; } uses location /static/ { alias /var/www/html/; } which correctly serves files under /static/ from /var/www/html.

4. Final Answer:

   location /static/ { alias /var/www/html/; } -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Use alias with trailing slash for prefix location [OK]

Hint: Use alias with trailing slash for prefix locations [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using root instead of alias for prefix paths
• Missing trailing slash on alias path
• Mismatching location and alias slashes