Скачать или смотреть Solving Nginx Configuration Issues: Allowing IPs and Denying Access with 403 Errors

Learn how to properly configure your Nginx settings to allow specific IPs, deny unauthorized access, and avoid file downloads with error 403 messages.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/66810902/ asked by the user 'Abdul Rehman' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/4311336/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/66829106/ provided by the user 'Richard Smith' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/4862445/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Solving Nginx Configuration Issues: Allowing IPs and Denying Access with 403 Errors

When setting up Nginx for your website, you might encounter unexpected behavior when trying to restrict access to certain directories or files. For instance, you may want to allow access only for specific static IP addresses while denying access to everyone else. If you’ve faced issues such as files downloading erroneously or encountering 403 Forbidden errors, this guide is for you. Let's go through a common scenario and its resolution step by step.

The Problem

You may want to set up your Nginx server configuration to allow access only to certain IPs (IPv4 and IPv6) for specific resources, such as your WordPress admin dashboard. The desired effect is to return a 403 Forbidden error to unauthorized users. However, upon implementing these configurations, you find that the server begins to download files when accessing certain URLs instead of denying access.

Example Configuration

Here’s an example of a problematic configuration block you may have used:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

If removing the IPv6 line resolves the 403 error but causes unexpected file downloads when present, you aren’t alone. This is a common pitfall in Nginx configurations concerning PHP file handling.

The Solution: Proper Configuration

To solve this issue, you need to adjust the configuration to include the proper handling for PHP files inside the restricted location. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Ensuring PHP Execution

The primary reason behind the unexpected file downloads is that Nginx does not know how to handle PHP requests properly in your restricted location block. You need to nest the PHP execution commands within the IP access control block.

2. Revise Your Location Block

Here’s the revised configuration block:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

3. Overall Server Block Example

Your overall server block can look like this, ensuring all configurations are appropriately included:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

By structuring your Nginx configuration appropriately, you can successfully manage IP access control without the unintended side effect of downloading files instead of returning 403 Forbidden errors. Remember to always nest your PHP handling configurations properly to prevent such issues.

Now you’re equipped to configure your Nginx settings efficiently, allowing specific IPs while maintaining the security of your web resources. Happy hosting!