Why advanced patterns solve complex requirements in Nginx - Test Your Understanding

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to set the server listening port to 8080.

Nginx

server {
    listen [1];
}

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

A80

B3000

C8080

D443

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using port 80 instead of 8080

Forgetting the semicolon

The listen directive sets the port the server listens on. Here, 8080 is the correct port.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to serve static files from the /var/www/html directory.

Nginx

server {
    root [1];
}

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

A/usr/share/nginx/html

B/home/user/html

C/etc/nginx/html

D/var/www/html

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using wrong directory paths

Missing the semicolon

The root directive defines the directory for static files. Here, /var/www/html is the standard web root.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the location block to correctly match requests for /images/.

Nginx

location [1] {
    root /var/www/html;
}

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

Aimages/

B/images/

C/images

D/image/

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Omitting the trailing slash

Typo in the path

The location block should match the path with a trailing slash to correctly serve files under /images/.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a rewrite rule that redirects HTTP to HTTPS.

Nginx

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com;
    return [1] https://[2]$request_uri;
}

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

A301

B302

Cexample.com

D$host

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 302 instead of 301

Hardcoding the domain name

The return 301 sends a permanent redirect. Using $host preserves the requested hostname.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a location block that proxies requests to a backend server.

Nginx

location [1] {
    proxy_pass [2];
    proxy_set_header [3] $host;
}

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

A/api/

Bhttp://backend:5000

CHost

D/static/

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Wrong location path

Incorrect proxy_pass URL

Missing or wrong header name

The location /api/ matches API requests. proxy_pass sends them to the backend server. proxy_set_header Host $host; forwards the original host header.

Practice

1. What is the main benefit of using advanced nginx patterns in server configuration?

easy

A. They allow handling complex routing and conditional responses.

B. They reduce the server's memory usage significantly.

C. They automatically update nginx to the latest version.

D. They simplify the installation process of nginx.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand nginx pattern purpose

   Advanced patterns in nginx help manage complex routing and conditions for requests.

2. Step 2: Compare options

   Only They allow handling complex routing and conditional responses. correctly states the benefit of handling complex routing and conditional responses.

3. Final Answer:

   They allow handling complex routing and conditional responses. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Advanced patterns = complex routing [OK]

Hint: Advanced patterns handle complex routes and conditions [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing performance improvements with routing benefits
• Thinking nginx auto-updates with patterns
• Assuming patterns simplify installation

2. Which of the following is a correct nginx directive syntax to match requests only for the domain example.com?

easy

A. server_name = example.com;

B. server_name example.com;

C. server_name ~ example.com;

D. server_name !example.com;

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall server_name directive syntax

   The correct syntax to specify a domain is server_name example.com; without extra symbols.

2. Step 2: Analyze other options

   Options B, C, and D use invalid or unsupported syntax for server_name.

3. Final Answer:

   server_name example.com; -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Correct server_name syntax = server_name example.com; [OK]

Hint: Use plain domain name without symbols for server_name [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding unsupported symbols like = or ~
• Using negation symbol ! which is invalid
• Confusing regex with server_name syntax

3. Given this nginx config snippet:

location /api/ {
  if ($request_method = POST) {
    return 405;
  }
  proxy_pass http://backend;
}

What happens when a POST request is sent to /api/data?

medium

A. The server returns HTTP status 405 Method Not Allowed.

B. The request is proxied to http://backend.

C. The request is redirected to /api/ with GET method.

D. The server returns HTTP status 404 Not Found.

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the if condition

   The config checks if the request method is POST and returns 405 if true.

2. Step 2: Apply condition to POST request

   Since the request is POST, nginx returns 405 and does not proxy the request.

3. Final Answer:

   The server returns HTTP status 405 Method Not Allowed. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   POST request triggers 405 return [OK]

Hint: If condition returns 405 on POST, request won't proxy [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming proxy_pass always runs regardless of if
• Confusing 405 with 404 status codes
• Thinking request is redirected instead of blocked

4. You wrote this nginx config to redirect HTTP to HTTPS:

server {
  listen 80;
  server_name example.com;
  return 301 https://$server_name$request_uri;
}

But the redirect does not work. What is the likely error?

medium

A. The server block must listen on port 443 for redirects.

B. Missing semicolon after listen 80 directive.

C. Using $server_name instead of $host in the return statement.

D. Incorrect HTTP status code; should be 302 instead of 301.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand variable usage in redirect

   $server_name may not hold the requested host; $host is preferred for redirects.

2. Step 2: Check other options

   Semicolon is present, 301 is correct for permanent redirect, and listening on 80 is correct for HTTP to HTTPS redirect.

3. Final Answer:

   Using $server_name instead of $host in the return statement. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use $host for redirects, not $server_name [OK]

Hint: Use $host, not $server_name, for redirect URLs [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing $server_name with $host variable
• Thinking 301 is wrong status code for redirect
• Believing listen 443 is needed for HTTP to HTTPS redirect

5. You want nginx to serve static files from /var/www/static only if the request URI starts with /static/, otherwise proxy to backend. Which config snippet correctly implements this advanced pattern?

hard

A. location /static/ {
root /var/www/static;
}
location / {
proxy_pass http://backend;
}

B. location / {
proxy_pass http://backend;
}
location /static/ {
root /var/www/static;
}

C. location /static/ {
proxy_pass http://backend;
}
location / {
root /var/www/static;
}

D. location /static/ {
alias /var/www/static/;
}
location / {
proxy_pass http://backend;
}

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand root vs alias for static files

   Using alias with full path is correct for serving static files from a subdirectory.

2. Step 2: Check location order and proxy

   Requests starting with /static/ serve files from /var/www/static/, others proxy to backend.

3. Final Answer:

   location /static/ { alias /var/www/static/; } location / { proxy_pass http://backend; } -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Use alias for static path, proxy others [OK]

Hint: Use alias for static folder, proxy others [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using root instead of alias causing wrong file paths
• Reversing location blocks order
• Proxying static requests instead of serving files