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Basic Guide to Install and Use Nginx & Apache

Introduction​

This guide will help you get started with installing and using Nginx and Apache on your Linux system. Both are popular web servers used to serve websites and web applications.

Installing Nginx​

1. Update the system​

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Install Nginx​

sudo apt install nginx -y

3. Start and enable Nginx​

sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

4. Check Nginx status​

sudo systemctl status nginx

5. Access the default Nginx page​

  • Open your web browser and go to http://<your_server_ip>
  • You should see the default Nginx welcome page.

Using Nginx​

1. Configuration file location​

  • Main config file: /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
  • Site-specific configs: /etc/nginx/sites-available/
  • To enable a site, create a symlink in /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

2. Reload Nginx after making changes​

sudo systemctl reload nginx

Installing Apache​

1. Update the system​

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Install Apache​

sudo apt install apache2 -y

3. Start and enable Apache​

sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo systemctl enable apache2

4. Check Apache status​

sudo systemctl status apache2

5. Access the default Apache page​

  • Open your web browser and go to http://<your_server_ip>
  • You should see the default Apache welcome page.

Using Apache​

1. Configuration file location​

  • Main config file: /etc/apache2/apache2.conf
  • Site-specific configs: /etc/apache2/sites-available/
  • To enable a site, use a2ensite <site-name>.conf

2. Reload Apache after making changes​

sudo systemctl reload apache2

Switching Between Nginx and Apache​

If you have both servers installed, you need to stop one before starting the other to avoid port conflicts.

  • Stop Nginx: 
    sudo systemctl stop nginx
  • Start Apache: 
    sudo systemctl start apache2

And vice versa.