Installing and Running Nginx

Before configuring Nginx, you need it installed and running. This lesson covers installation and the everyday commands to control it.

Install

On Debian or Ubuntu:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx

On RHEL, CentOS, or Fedora:

sudo dnf install nginx

Start and Manage the Service

Most Linux systems use systemd. Use systemctl to control Nginx:

sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx
sudo systemctl status nginx

enable makes Nginx start automatically on boot.

Test the Configuration

Always check your config before applying it. A typo can take the server down:

sudo nginx -t

If it prints “syntax is ok” and “test is successful”, you are safe to reload.

Reload Without Downtime

After editing config, reload to apply changes without dropping connections:

sudo systemctl reload nginx
sudo nginx -s reload

Both work. reload re-reads the config gracefully. Use nginx -s stop to stop the server. Get into the habit of running nginx -t before every reload.