Location blocks in Nginx - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to define a location block that matches the root URL.

Nginx

location [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 regex modifiers like ~ or ^~ for the root path.

Using = which matches exact URI only.

The root URL is matched with / in the location block.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to define a location block that matches URIs starting with /images/ using a prefix match.

Nginx

location [1]/images/ {
    root /data;
}

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

A/

B^~

C~

D=

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using ~ which is for regex matches.

Using = which matches exact URI only.

The ^~ modifier tells nginx to use this prefix match and stop searching further.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the location block to correctly match URIs ending with .php using regex.

Nginx

location [1] \.php$ {
    fastcgi_pass 127.0.0.1:9000;
}

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

A~

B/

C^~

D=

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Omitting the ~ modifier for regex locations.

Using ^~ which is for prefix matches only.

The ~ modifier is required to indicate a regex match in nginx location blocks.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a location block that matches exact URI /favicon.ico and returns 204 status.

Nginx

location [1] {
    return [2];
}

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

A= /favicon.ico

B204

C404

D~ /favicon.ico

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using regex modifier ~ instead of exact match.

Returning 404 which means not found.

The = modifier matches the exact URI /favicon.ico. Returning 204 means no content.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a location block that matches URIs starting with /api/ using a prefix match modifier, and proxies requests to http://backend.

Nginx

location [1] /api/ {
    proxy_pass [2];
    proxy_set_header Host [3];
}

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

A~

Bhttp://backend

C$host

D^~

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using ~ which treats the location as a regex match.

Not forwarding the Host header correctly.

The ^~ modifier tells nginx to use this prefix match and stop searching regex locations further. proxy_pass http://backend; sends requests to the backend server. $host forwards the original Host header.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of a location block in an nginx configuration?

easy

A. To specify the server's hostname

B. To set the server's IP address

C. To define how nginx handles requests for specific URL paths

D. To configure the database connection

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of location blocks

   Location blocks in nginx specify rules for handling requests based on URL paths.

2. Step 2: Compare options with location block purpose

   Only To define how nginx handles requests for specific URL paths correctly describes this purpose; others relate to different server settings.

3. Final Answer:

   To define how nginx handles requests for specific URL paths -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Location blocks control URL handling = D [OK]

Hint: Location blocks match URLs to control request handling [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing location blocks with server settings
• Thinking location blocks set server IP or hostname
• Mixing location blocks with database configs

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to define a location block that matches the exact URL /about?

easy

A. location /about { }

B. location ~ /about { }

C. location ^~ /about { }

D. location = /about { }

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand location modifiers

   The = modifier matches the exact URL path.

2. Step 2: Match syntax to exact URL

   location = /about { } uses = /about which matches exactly '/about'. Others match prefixes or regex.

3. Final Answer:

   location = /about { } -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Exact match uses '=' modifier = C [OK]

Hint: Use '=' for exact URL match in location block [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using no modifier for exact match
• Confusing regex (~) with exact match
• Using ^~ which is prefix, not exact

3. Given this nginx config snippet:

location /images/ {
  root /data;
}

What is the full file path nginx will serve for a request to /images/pic.jpg?

medium

A. /data/pic.jpg

B. /data/images/pic.jpg

C. /images/pic.jpg

D. /data/images/

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand root directive with location

   The root directive appends the part of the URI after the location prefix to the root path.

2. Step 2: Combine root and URI

   Location prefix is /images/, request URI is /images/pic.jpg, so the part after prefix is pic.jpg. Root is /data, so full path is /data/pic.jpg.

3. Final Answer:

   /data/pic.jpg -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   root + URI after location prefix = /data/pic.jpg [OK]

Hint: root + URI after location prefix = file path served [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming root combines with full URI
• Using full URI instead of URI after location prefix
• Confusing alias with root behavior

4. Identify the error in this nginx location block:

location /static/ {
  alias /var/www/static;
}

medium

A. Missing trailing slash in alias path

B. alias should be root here

C. location path should not end with slash

D. No error, configuration is correct

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand alias usage

   When using alias with a location ending with a slash, the alias path must also end with a slash.

2. Step 2: Check alias path

   Alias path /var/www/static lacks trailing slash, causing incorrect file path resolution.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing trailing slash in alias path -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Alias path must end with '/' if location ends with '/' = B [OK]

Hint: Alias path needs trailing slash if location ends with slash [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using root instead of alias incorrectly
• Omitting trailing slash on alias path
• Thinking location path cannot end with slash

5. You want nginx to serve static files from /var/www/app/static when users request URLs starting with /static/, but you want to avoid duplicating the /static/ part in the file path. Which location block correctly achieves this?

hard

A. location /static/ { root /var/www/app/static; }

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

C. location /static/ { alias /var/www/app/static; }

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

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand alias vs root behavior

   Alias replaces the location prefix with the alias path exactly, avoiding duplication.

2. Step 2: Check trailing slashes for alias

   Alias path must end with a slash to match location ending with slash, ensuring correct path mapping.

3. Step 3: Evaluate options

   location /static/ { alias /var/www/app/static/; } uses alias with trailing slash, correctly mapping /static/file to /var/www/app/static/file. Others either duplicate path or miss slash.

4. Final Answer:

   location /static/ { alias /var/www/app/static/; } -> Option B

5. Quick Check:

   Alias with trailing slash avoids duplication = A [OK]

Hint: Use alias with trailing slash to avoid path duplication [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using root causing duplicated /static/ in path
• Omitting trailing slash on alias path
• Confusing alias and root usage