server_name directive in Nginx - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Configuring the <code>server_name</code> Directive in Nginx

📖 Scenario: You are setting up a simple web server using Nginx. To make sure your server responds to the right website address, you need to configure the server_name directive correctly.Think of server_name like the name tag on a mailbox. It tells Nginx which website address it should listen for and respond to.

🎯 Goal: Learn how to set the server_name directive in an Nginx server block to match a specific domain name.You will create a basic Nginx server block configuration that listens on port 80 and responds to the domain example.com.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create an Nginx server block configuration

Set the server_name directive to example.com

Listen on port 80

Add a simple location / block with a return 200 and a message

Print the final configuration

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Web servers use the <code>server_name</code> directive to know which website to serve when multiple domains point to the same server IP.

💼 Career

Understanding how to configure <code>server_name</code> is essential for DevOps roles managing web servers and deploying websites.

1

Create the basic Nginx server block

Create a variable called nginx_config and assign it a multi-line string that starts with server { and includes a listen 80; directive inside the block.

Nginx

# Your code here

Hint

Use triple quotes or escaped newlines to create a multi-line string.

2

Add the server_name directive

Add a line inside the server block in nginx_config that sets server_name example.com; exactly after the listen 80; line.

Nginx

nginx_config = "server {\n    listen 80;\n    # Add server_name directive here\n}"

Hint

The server_name directive tells Nginx which domain to respond to.

3

Add a simple location / block

Add a location / block inside the server block in nginx_config that returns status 200 with the text Welcome to example.com!. Use return 200 'Welcome to example.com!'; inside the location block.

Nginx

nginx_config = "server {\n    listen 80;\n    server_name example.com;\n    # Add location block here\n}"

Hint

The location / block handles requests to the root URL.

4

Print the final Nginx configuration

Write a print statement to display the content of the nginx_config variable.

Nginx

nginx_config = "server {\n    listen 80;\n    server_name example.com;\n    location / {\n        return 200 'Welcome to example.com!';\n    }\n}"
# Print the nginx_config variable below
# Your code here

Hint

Use print(nginx_config) to show the configuration.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of the server_name directive in an nginx configuration?

easy

A. To define the port number for the server

B. To specify which domain names the server should respond to

C. To set the root directory for website files

D. To configure the SSL certificate path

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of server_name

   The server_name directive tells nginx which domain names it should respond to when a request arrives.

2. Step 2: Compare with other directives

   Other directives like listen set ports, root sets file paths, and SSL directives configure certificates, not domain names.

3. Final Answer:

   To specify which domain names the server should respond to -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   server_name = domain names [OK]

Hint: server_name always sets domains nginx listens for [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing server_name with listen port
• Thinking server_name sets file paths
• Mixing server_name with SSL settings

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to set multiple domain names in the server_name directive?

easy

A. server_name example.com www.example.com;

B. server_name = example.com, www.example.com;

C. server_name: example.com www.example.com;

D. server_name example.com; www.example.com;

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall nginx syntax for server_name

   The correct syntax lists domain names separated by spaces, ending with a semicolon.

2. Step 2: Analyze each option

   server_name example.com www.example.com; correctly lists domains separated by spaces and ends with a semicolon. Options B and C use invalid characters (=, :, commas). server_name example.com; www.example.com; incorrectly splits domains into two statements.

3. Final Answer:

   server_name example.com www.example.com; -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Multiple domains separated by spaces [OK]

Hint: List domains with spaces, end with semicolon [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using commas between domain names
• Adding equal signs or colons
• Splitting domains into multiple directives

3. Given this nginx server block snippet:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name *.example.com example.org;
}

Which domain will nginx respond to?

medium

A. Only example.org

B. Only subdomains of example.com

C. Both example.org and any subdomain of example.com

D. Any domain ending with .com

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the wildcard in server_name

   The *.example.com matches any subdomain like www.example.com or blog.example.com, but not example.com itself.

2. Step 2: Check the other domain

   The directive also includes example.org, so nginx responds to that exact domain as well.

3. Final Answer:

   Both example.org and any subdomain of example.com -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   wildcard + exact domain = both matched [OK]

Hint: Wildcard matches subdomains; list exact domains separately [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking wildcard matches main domain without subdomain
• Assuming wildcard matches all .com domains
• Ignoring exact domain entries

4. You wrote this nginx config:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name www.example.com, example.org;
}

Why does nginx fail to start?

medium

A. Because semicolon is missing after server_name

B. Because the listen directive is missing a port

C. Because server_name must be inside location block

D. Because commas are not allowed between domain names

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify syntax error in server_name

   The server_name directive expects domain names separated by spaces, not commas.

2. Step 2: Check other parts of config

   The listen directive correctly specifies port 80. server_name is valid in server block, and semicolon is present.

3. Final Answer:

   Because commas are not allowed between domain names -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   No commas allowed in server_name list [OK]

Hint: Separate domains with spaces, never commas [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using commas between domains
• Placing server_name inside location block
• Omitting semicolon at end

5. You want nginx to respond to example.com, www.example.com, and any subdomain like blog.example.com. Which server_name directive is correct?

hard

A. server_name example.com www.example.com *.example.com;

B. server_name example.com www.example.com;

C. server_name *.example.com;

D. server_name www.example.com example.com*;

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand domain matching with wildcards

   The wildcard *.example.com matches subdomains like blog.example.com but does NOT match the root domain example.com.

2. Step 2: Include all required domains explicitly

   To cover example.com and www.example.com, they must be listed explicitly along with the wildcard.

3. Final Answer:

   server_name example.com www.example.com *.example.com; -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Wildcard excludes root domain, list all needed domains [OK]

Hint: Wildcard excludes root domain; list it explicitly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming wildcard covers root domain
• Using invalid wildcard syntax like example.com*
• Omitting www or root domain