How to Install Nginx on CentOS: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you’re looking to improve your website’s performance, Nginx is a powerful web server that can help. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to install Nginx on CentOS, a popular Linux distribution, so you can start taking advantage of its benefits.

Update Your System

Before installing Nginx, it’s important to make sure your system is up to date. This ensures that you have the latest security patches and bug fixes. To update your CentOS system, open a terminal window and run the following command:

sudo yum update

This will download and install any available updates for your system. Depending on the number of updates available, this process may take some time. Once the updates are installed, you can proceed with installing Nginx.

Install the EPEL Repository

The first step in installing Nginx on CentOS is to install the EPEL repository. EPEL stands for Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux and provides additional packages that are not available in the default CentOS repositories.

To install the EPEL repository, open a terminal window and run the following command:

sudo yum install epel-release

This will download and install the EPEL repository on your system. Once the installation is complete, you can proceed with installing Nginx.

Incase you having issue on yum install , you can manually install the epel by rpm

Install Nginx

To install Nginx on CentOS, follow these steps:

1. Open a terminal window and run the following command to update your system:

sudo yum update

1. Install Nginx by running the following command:

sudo yum install nginx

1. Once the installation is complete, start the Nginx service by running the following command:

sudo systemctl start nginx

1. To ensure that Nginx starts automatically at boot time, run the following command:

sudo systemctl enable nginx

Finally, verify that Nginx is running by opening a web browser and navigating to your server’s IP address. You should see the default Nginx welcome page.

Congratulations, you have successfully installed Nginx on CentOS!

Start and Enable Nginx

To start and enable Nginx on CentOS, follow these simple steps. First, open a terminal window and run the command “sudo systemctl start nginx” to start the Nginx service. Next, run the command “sudo systemctl enable nginx” to ensure that Nginx starts automatically at boot time. That’s it! You can now verify that Nginx is running by opening a web browser and navigating to your server’s IP address.

Configure Nginx

Once you have successfully installed Nginx on CentOS, it’s important to configure it to suit your specific needs. This can include setting up virtual hosts, configuring SSL certificates, and optimizing performance settings. There are many resources available online to help you with Nginx configuration, including the official Nginx documentation and community forums. Take the time to learn about the various configuration options available to you and experiment with different settings to find the best setup for your website.