Index directive in Nginx - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ query_result

intermediate

What file does Nginx serve by default with this configuration?

Given the following Nginx configuration snippet, which file will Nginx serve when a user requests the root URL /?

Nginx

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com;
    root /var/www/html;
    index index.html index.htm;
}

A /var/www/html/index.html

B /var/www/html/default.html

C /var/www/html/index.php

D /var/www/html/home.html

💡 Hint

Look at the index directive to see which files Nginx tries first.

The index directive lists files Nginx looks for in order. Here, it tries index.html first, so it serves /var/www/html/index.html if it exists.

📝 Syntax

intermediate

Identify the syntax error in this Nginx index directive

Which option shows the correct syntax for specifying multiple index files in Nginx?

Nginx

index index.html, index.htm index.php;

A index index.html, index.htm, index.php;

B index index.html index.htm index.php;

C index = index.html index.htm index.php;

D index: index.html index.htm index.php;

💡 Hint

Nginx directives separate values by spaces, not commas or symbols.

The index directive lists files separated by spaces only. Commas or symbols like '=' or ':' are invalid syntax.

❓ optimization

advanced

Optimizing index directive for performance

Which index directive configuration is best for performance when your site primarily uses index.php and rarely index.html?

A index index.php index.html;

B index index.html index.php;

C index index.htm index.html index.php;

D index index.php;

💡 Hint

Put the most commonly used file first to reduce file checks.

Nginx checks files in the order listed. Putting index.php first reduces unnecessary checks, improving performance.

🧠 Conceptual

advanced

Effect of missing index directive

What happens if the index directive is not set in an Nginx server block and a user requests a directory URL?

A Nginx returns a 404 Not Found error.

B Nginx automatically serves <code>index.html</code> by default.

C Nginx lists the directory contents to the user.

D Nginx returns a 403 Forbidden error if no index file is found.

💡 Hint

Think about what Nginx does when no index file is found and directory listing is off.

Without an index directive, Nginx does not know which file to serve and if directory listing is disabled, it returns 403 Forbidden.

🔧 Debug

expert

Why does Nginx serve a 404 error despite correct index directive?

Given this configuration, why does Nginx return a 404 error when accessing /?

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com;
    root /var/www/html;
    index index.php index.html;
    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
    }
}

A The <code>index</code> directive is ignored inside <code>location</code> blocks.

B The root path is incorrect and does not contain index files.

C The <code>try_files</code> directive does not check for index files inside directories.

D Nginx requires <code>autoindex on;</code> to serve index files.

💡 Hint

Consider how try_files works with directories and index files.

The try_files directive checks the exact URI and URI with trailing slash but does not automatically serve index files inside directories. Without additional config, it returns 404.