Скачать или смотреть Sharing a nginx Directive Across Multiple Sites: A Simple Approach

Learn how to effectively manage `nginx` configurations by sharing directives across multiple sites on your server without modifying each site's individual configuration files.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/71993363/ asked by the user 'Fawzan' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/4599824/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/71995264/ provided by the user 'araisch' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/13076577/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: Sharing a nginx directive across sites

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Sharing an nginx Directive Across Multiple Sites: A Simple Approach

Managing a server with multiple sites can be quite a challenge, especially when it comes to applying consistent directives across these sites. If you have around 30 websites hosted on a single server and want to implement an IP blocker or other directives, the goal is without having to manually alter each individual site file in sites_enabled. This guide will walk you through how to achieve this.

The Problem

As a server administrator, the last thing you want is to be bogged down by repetitive tasks. You may find yourself needing to add security features such as IP blocking to numerous sites. The main challenge here is:

You do not want to alter each site's configuration file.

You want to ensure that the applied configurations are effective for all hosted sites without getting overridden.

This scenario may lead you to wonder: Is it possible to share an nginx directive across multiple sites and ensure they function correctly?

The Solution

The answer to your query is a definitive yes! Although at first glance, you might feel like you're caught in a web of nginx intricacies, there are ways to handle this effectively. Here is how you can share directives across sites while minimizing potential conflicts or overrides.

Step 1: Use the if Statement in the Server Block

Instead of adding an if directive within each individual location block—which is often considered bad practice due to nginx’s quirky behavior—you should incorporate it at the server block level. Here’s how:

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

Step 2: Understanding the if Directive

While the if directive is known to cause unexpected behavior when used inside location blocks, placing it in the server context provides a clearer and more manageable way to control access. Here’s why you should utilize it at the server level:

Avoiding "Evil" if Statements: Using if statements in location blocks is generally considered bad practice, and can lead to unpredictable results. By using it in the server block, you minimize risk.

Centralized Management: By centralizing the directive, you can effectively block IPs for all sites without changing the configuration of each individual site, simplifying management significantly.

Step 3: Considerations for Your Configuration

While implementing this strategy, keep the following points in mind:

Always Test Changes: Before applying any configuration changes in production, make sure to test them on a staging server.

Backup Configurations: Keep backups of your site configurations so that you can roll back if something goes wrong.

Monitor Logs: After implementing your changes, monitor nginx logs for any anomalies that may arise due to the new configurations.

Conclusion

By using the if statement at the server block level, you can effectively share necessary directives across all sites hosted on your server. This approach allows you to maintain a clean and efficient configuration without the hassle of editing multiple site files. Managing multiple sites doesn't have to be overwhelming—as this method can simplify your workflow and enhance security without overcomplicating your setup.

When it comes to server management, simplicity and clarity are key. With this knowledge, you're now equipped to streamline your nginx directives efficiently across all your sites.