Root directive in Nginx - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

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

Nginx

server {
    listen 80;
    [1] /var/www/html;
}

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

Aroot

Blocation

Cserver_name

Dindex

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'location' instead of 'root' to set the directory.

Confusing 'index' with 'root'.

The root directive sets the root directory for requests.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to set the root directory inside a location block.

Nginx

server {
    listen 80;
    location /images/ {
        [1] /data/images;
    }
}

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

Aindex

Broot

Calias

Dproxy_pass

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'alias' instead of 'root' inside location block incorrectly.

Using 'proxy_pass' which is for proxying requests.

The root directive inside a location block sets the root directory for that location.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the root directive syntax.

Nginx

server {
    listen 80;
    root [1] /var/www/html;
}

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

A/var/www/html

B;

C/var/www/html;

D(none)

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Adding an extra token between 'root' and the path.

Missing the semicolon at the end.

The root directive should be followed by the path and then a semicolon. No extra token is needed between 'root' and the path.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a location block that serves files from /usr/share/nginx/html for the root URL.

Nginx

server {
    listen 80;
    location [1] {
        [2] /usr/share/nginx/html;
    }
}

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

A/

Broot

C/images/

Dalias

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'alias' instead of 'root' inside the location block.

Using a wrong location path like '/images/' for the root URL.

The location '/' matches the root URL, and the root directive sets the directory to serve files from.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a server block that listens on port 8080, serves files from /var/www/site, and sets the index file to index.html.

Nginx

server {
    listen [1];
    root [2];
    index [3];
}

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

A80

B/var/www/site

Cindex.html

D8080

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using port 80 instead of 8080.

Confusing 'index' and 'root' directives.

Missing semicolons at the end of directives.

The server listens on port 8080, serves files from /var/www/site, and uses index.html as the default index file.

Practice

1. What does the root directive do in an nginx configuration?

easy

A. It sets the maximum number of client connections.

B. It defines the server's IP address.

C. It specifies the port number nginx listens on.

D. It sets the folder where nginx looks for files to serve.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of the root directive

   The root directive tells nginx which folder to use as the base path for serving files.

2. Step 2: Compare with other options

   Other options like IP address, port, or client limits are set by different directives, not root.

3. Final Answer:

   It sets the folder where nginx looks for files to serve. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   root = folder path for files [OK]

Hint: Root sets the base folder for files nginx serves [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing root with listen directive
• Thinking root sets server IP or port
• Assuming root controls client limits

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to set the root directory to /var/www/html inside a location block?

easy

A. root = /var/www/html;

B. root /var/www/html;

C. root: /var/www/html;

D. root /var/www/html

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall nginx directive syntax

   Directives use the format: directive_name value; without equals or colons.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   root /var/www/html; uses correct syntax: root /var/www/html;. Options A and C use invalid symbols, D misses the semicolon.

3. Final Answer:

   root /var/www/html; -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Correct syntax = root path followed by semicolon [OK]

Hint: No equals sign or colon; end with semicolon [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using equals sign (=) after root
• Omitting semicolon at end
• Using colon (:) instead of space

3. Given this nginx config snippet inside a server block:

location /images/ {
    root /var/www/data;
}

If a client requests /images/pic.jpg, which file path will nginx try to serve?

medium

A. /var/www/data/images/pic.jpg

B. /var/www/data/pic.jpg

C. /images/pic.jpg

D. /var/www/html/images/pic.jpg

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand root with location

   The root directive appends the full request URI to the root path.

2. Step 2: Combine root and request URI

   Request URI is /images/pic.jpg. Root is /var/www/data. So nginx looks for /var/www/data/images/pic.jpg.

3. Final Answer:

   /var/www/data/images/pic.jpg -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   root + full URI = file path [OK]

Hint: Root + full URI = file path nginx serves [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming root replaces location prefix
• Ignoring location path in file path
• Confusing root with alias directive

4. You set root /var/www/html; inside a location /static/ block, but requests to /static/style.css return 404 errors. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The root path is incorrect or missing the /static/ folder.

B. You forgot to restart nginx after changing the config.

C. The location block should use alias instead of root.

D. The file style.css is not readable by nginx.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand root with location prefix

   Root appends the full URI, so nginx looks for /var/www/html/static/style.css.

2. Step 2: Check folder structure

   If the actual files are in /var/www/html without the static subfolder, nginx won't find them, causing 404.

3. Final Answer:

   The root path is incorrect or missing the /static/ folder. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Root + URI must match actual file path [OK]

Hint: Root must include location path or use alias [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Not matching root path to location URI
• Assuming config reload fixes path errors
• Confusing root and alias usage

5. You want nginx to serve files from /srv/www/site when users request /files/, but without including /files/ in the file path. Which configuration correctly achieves this?

hard

A. location /files/ {
root /srv/www/site;
}

B. location /files/ {
alias /srv/www/site/files;
}

C. location /files/ {
alias /srv/www/site/;
}

D. location /files/ {
root /srv/www/site/files;
}

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand root vs alias behavior

   Root appends full URI to path, alias replaces location prefix with given path.

2. Step 2: Match requirement to config

   To serve files from /srv/www/site without /files/ in path, alias must be used.

3. Final Answer:

   location /files/ { alias /srv/www/site/; } -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use alias to strip location prefix from file path [OK]

Hint: Use alias to avoid adding location prefix to path [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using root when alias is needed
• Missing trailing slash in alias path
• Confusing root and alias effects