Server block structure in Nginx - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to start a basic server block listening on port 80.

Nginx

server {
    listen [1];
}

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

A80

B443

C22

D8080

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using port 443 which is for HTTPS instead of 80.

Using port 22 which is for SSH.

The listen directive specifies the port the server block listens on. Port 80 is the default for HTTP.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to set the server name to example.com.

Nginx

server {
    server_name [1];
}

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

Alocalhost

Bdefault

Cmyserver

Dexample.com

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using localhost which is for local testing.

Using generic names like default which won't match the domain.

The server_name directive defines which domain names this server block responds to. Here, it should be example.com.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the server block to correctly serve files from /var/www/html.

Nginx

server {
    root [1];
}

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

A/home/user/html

B/etc/nginx/html

C/var/www/html

D/usr/share/nginx/html

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using /usr/share/nginx/html which is default for some distros but not the target here.

Using home directories which are not accessible by nginx.

The root directive sets the directory where the website files are located. The standard web root is /var/www/html.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to configure the server block to listen on port 443 and enable SSL.

Nginx

server {
    listen [1] ssl;
    ssl_certificate [2];
}

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

A443

B/etc/ssl/certs/server.crt

C/etc/nginx/ssl/server.key

D80

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using port 80 which is for HTTP, not HTTPS.

Confusing certificate and key file paths.

Port 443 is the standard port for HTTPS. The ssl_certificate directive points to the SSL certificate file.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a server block that listens on port 80, sets server_name to mysite.com, and serves files from /srv/mysite.

Nginx

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

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

A443

Bmysite.com

C/srv/mysite

D80

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using port 443 for HTTP instead of 80.

Setting server_name to localhost or default.

Using wrong root directory paths.

This server block listens on port 80 (HTTP), responds to mysite.com, and serves files from /srv/mysite.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of a server block in an Nginx configuration?

easy

A. To define how Nginx handles requests for a specific website or domain

B. To set the operating system user for Nginx processes

C. To configure the firewall rules for Nginx

D. To specify the database connection details

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of server blocks

   A server block tells Nginx how to respond to requests for a particular domain or site.

2. Step 2: Compare options with server block purpose

   Only To define how Nginx handles requests for a specific website or domain describes handling requests for a website, which matches the server block's role.

3. Final Answer:

   To define how Nginx handles requests for a specific website or domain -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Server block = website request handling [OK]

Hint: Server blocks map domains to settings in Nginx [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing server block with user or firewall settings
• Thinking server block manages database connections
• Mixing server block with global Nginx settings

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to start a server block in Nginx?

easy

A. server {

B. block server {

C. site {

D. server-block {

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Nginx server block syntax

   The correct syntax to start a server block is the keyword server followed by curly braces.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   Only server { uses the exact keyword server with braces, which is valid syntax.

3. Final Answer:

   server { -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Server block starts with 'server {' [OK]

Hint: Server blocks always start with 'server {' [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using incorrect keywords like 'block' or 'site'
• Adding extra hyphens or misspelling 'server'
• Omitting the opening brace

3. Given this server block snippet, what port will Nginx listen on?

server {
    listen 8080;
    server_name example.com;
}

medium

A. 443

B. 8080

C. 80

D. None, it will cause an error

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the listen directive

   The line listen 8080; tells Nginx to listen on port 8080.

2. Step 2: Understand default ports

   Since port 8080 is explicitly set, Nginx will listen on 8080, not the default 80 or 443.

3. Final Answer:

   8080 -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   listen port = 8080 [OK]

Hint: Check the listen directive for port number [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming default port 80 without checking listen
• Confusing port 443 (HTTPS) with 8080
• Thinking missing listen causes error (it defaults to 80)

4. Identify the error in this server block configuration:

server {
    listen 80
    server_name mysite.com;
}

medium

A. listen directive should be 'listen port 80;'

B. server_name directive is incorrect

C. Curly braces are missing

D. Missing semicolon after listen directive

Solution

1. Step 1: Check syntax of directives

   Each directive in Nginx must end with a semicolon. The listen 80 line is missing a semicolon.

2. Step 2: Verify other parts

   The server_name directive and braces are correct. The listen directive syntax does not require the word 'port'.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing semicolon after listen directive -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Directives end with ';' [OK]

Hint: Every directive line ends with a semicolon [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting semicolons after directives
• Adding unnecessary words like 'port' in listen
• Misplacing or missing braces

5. You want to serve two websites on the same Nginx server: site1.com on port 80 and site2.com on port 8080. Which configuration correctly sets up the server blocks?

hard

A. server {
listen 80 8080;
server_name site1.com site2.com;
}

B. server {
listen 80;
server_name site1.com site2.com;
}

C. server {
listen 80;
server_name site1.com;
}
server {
listen 8080;
server_name site2.com;
}

D. server {
listen 80;
server_name site1.com;
listen 8080;
server_name site2.com;
}

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand separate server blocks for different ports

   Each site on a different port needs its own server block with its own listen and server_name directives.

2. Step 2: Analyze each option

   server { listen 80; server_name site1.com; } server { listen 8080; server_name site2.com; } correctly defines two separate server blocks, one for port 80 and site1.com, another for port 8080 and site2.com. Other options either combine ports or server_names incorrectly.

3. Final Answer:

   Separate server blocks for each site and port -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   One server block per port/site [OK]

Hint: Use separate server blocks for different ports/sites [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Combining multiple ports in one listen directive incorrectly
• Listing multiple server_names in one block for different ports
• Trying to put two listen directives in one server block for different sites