Dedicated Server: Installation of Nginx and Apache webserver

This guide was created with the following products:

(Details may vary with products from different providers but the main concepts remain the same)

Dedicated Server

Introduction

Nginx and Apache are popular web services that are used to deliver web pages to a user's browser. Below we will show you how to install one of the services on your system.

Preparation

Before the actual installation of a webserver can begin, it's necessary to make sure that the system is up to date. To do this, we connect to the server via SSH. If you don't know what SSH is and how to use it, check out the following guide: Initial access (SSH).

Once there you can update the system with the following command depending on your operating system:

// Debian
sudo apt-get update

// Ubuntu
sudo apt update

// CentOS
sudo yum update

// OpenSUSE
sudo zypper update

// Fedora
sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Installation

Once the preparation has been completed, the installation of the webserver can now begin. Depending on the operating system and webserver, the following commands must be executed for this:

Apache

// Debian
sudo apt install apache2

// Ubuntu
sudo apt install apache2

// CentOS
sudo yum install httpd

// OpenSUSE
sudo zypper install httpd

// Fedora
sudo dnf install httpd

After installing the web server, the files of your website can be uploaded. Connect to your server via FTP/SFTP, navigate to the following directory and upload the files.

/var/www/html/

Nginx

// Debian
sudo apt install nginx

// Ubuntu
sudo apt install nginx

// CentOS
sudo yum install nginx

// OpenSUSE
sudo zypper install nginx

// Fedora
sudo dnf install nginx

After installing the web server, the files of your website can be uploaded. Connect to your server via FTP/SFTP, navigate to the following directory and upload the files.

/usr/share/nginx/html

Version-Check

Once the installation has been completed, you can use the commands apache2 -v (Apache) and nginx -v (Nginx) to check if the installation was successful. The output should look similar to the following:

Apache

apache2 -v
Server version: Apache/2.4.41 (Ubuntu)
Server built:   XXXX-XX-XXTXX:XX:XX

Nginx

nginx -V
nginx version: nginx/1.2.3
...

If either one of the two cases occurs, then the web server has been successfully installed.