Directory listing (autoindex) in Nginx - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What is the output of this nginx configuration snippet?

Given this nginx server block snippet, what will be the result when accessing the /files URL?

location /files {
    root /var/www/html;
    autoindex on;
}

A The browser shows a 404 Not Found error because the root directive is incorrect.

B A plain text list of files and directories inside /var/www/html/files is shown in the browser.

C The browser downloads the index.html file from /var/www/html/files automatically.

D The browser shows a 403 Forbidden error because autoindex is off by default.

💡 Hint

autoindex on enables directory listing if no index file is found.

The root directive sets the base directory. autoindex on tells nginx to show a list of files if no index file exists in that directory.

❓ Configuration

intermediate

Which configuration enables directory listing only for /public path?

Select the correct nginx configuration snippet that enables directory listing only for the /public URL path.

A

location /public {
    root /var/www/html;
    autoindex on;
}

B

location / {
    root /var/www/html/public;
    autoindex on;
}

C

location /public {
    root /var/www/html/public;
    autoindex off;
}

D

location /public {
    alias /var/www/html/public;
    autoindex off;
}

💡 Hint

autoindex must be on and root must point to the base directory.

Option A correctly enables autoindex on for /public and sets root to /var/www/html so /public maps to /var/www/html/public.

❓ Troubleshoot

advanced

Why does directory listing not show despite autoindex on?

You set autoindex on in your nginx config for /data, but visiting /data shows a 403 Forbidden error. What is the most likely cause?

A The index directive is set to a file that does not exist, causing 403.

B The autoindex directive must be set inside the http block, not location.

C The root directive is missing, so nginx cannot find the directory.

D The directory /var/www/html/data lacks read permissions for the nginx user.

💡 Hint

Check file system permissions for nginx user.

Even if autoindex is on, nginx needs read permission on the directory to list files. Without it, 403 Forbidden occurs.

✅ Best Practice

advanced

What is the safest way to enable directory listing for a public folder?

Choose the best practice to safely enable directory listing for /public folder in nginx.

A Enable autoindex on only for /public location and restrict access to other locations.

B Use autoindex on in /public and disable access logging to hide activity.

C Enable autoindex on globally in the http block for all locations.

D Enable autoindex on and disable all authentication to allow anonymous access.

💡 Hint

Limit directory listing to only needed paths.

Enabling autoindex only for /public limits exposure. Global autoindex can expose sensitive directories.

🔀 Workflow

expert

Order the steps to enable and verify directory listing in nginx

Put these steps in the correct order to enable directory listing for /files and verify it works.

A 1,3,2,4

B 1,2,3,4

C 3,1,2,4

D 3,2,1,4

💡 Hint

Check permissions before reloading nginx.

First check permissions (3), then edit config (1), reload nginx (2), then verify in browser (4).