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Dorothy Kabarozi: Deploying a Simple HTML Project on Linode Using Nginx
news.movim.eu / PlanetGnome • Yesterday - 16:14 • 2 minutes
Deploying a Simple HTML Project on Linode Using Nginx: My Journey and Lessons Learned
Deploying web projects can seem intimidating at first, especially when working with a remote server like Linode. Recently, I decided to deploy a simple HTML project (
index.html
) on a Linode server using Nginx. Here’s a detailed account of the steps I took, the challenges I faced, and the solutions I applied.
Step 1: Accessing the Linode Server
The first step was to connect to my Linode server via SSH:
ssh root@<your-linode-ip>
Initially, I encountered a timeout issue , which reminded me to check network settings and ensure SSH access was enabled for my Linode instance. Once connected, I had access to the server terminal and could manage files and services.
Step 2: Preparing the Project
My project was simple—it only contained an
index.html
file. I uploaded it to the server under:
/var/www/hng13-stage0-devops
I verified the project folder structure with:
ls -l /var/www/hng13-stage0-devops
Since there was no
public
folder or PHP files, I knew I needed to adjust the Nginx configuration to serve directly from this folder.
Step 3: Setting Up Nginx
I opened the Nginx configuration for my site:
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/hng13
Initially, I mistakenly pointed
root
to a non-existent folder (
public
), which caused a
404 Not Found
error. The correct configuration looked like this:
server {
listen 80;
server_name <your_linode-ip>;
root /var/www/hng13-stage0-devops; # points to folder containing index.html
index index.html index.htm;
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
}
}
Step 4: Enabling the Site and Testing
After creating the configuration file, I enabled the site:
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/hng13 /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
I also removed the default site to avoid conflicts:
sudo rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default
Then I tested the configuration:
sudo nginx -t
If the syntax was OK, I reloaded Nginx:
sudo systemctl reload nginx
Step 5: Checking Permissions
Nginx must have access to the project files. I ensured the correct permissions:
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/hng13-stage0-devops
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/hng13-stage0-devops
Step 6: Viewing the Site
Finally, I opened my browser and navigated to
http://<your-linode-ip>
And there it was—my
index.html
page served perfectly via Nginx.
Challenges and Lessons Learned
-
Nginx
server_nameError-
Error:
"server_name" directive is not allowed here -
Lesson: Always place
server_nameinside aserver { ... }block.
-
Error:
-
404 Not Found
-
Cause: Nginx was pointing to a
publicfolder that didn’t exist. -
Solution: Update
rootto the folder containingindex.html.
-
Cause: Nginx was pointing to a
-
Permissions Issues
- Nginx could not read files initially.
-
Solution: Ensure ownership by
www-dataand proper read/execute permissions.
-
SSH Timeout / Connection Issues
- Double-check firewall rules and Linode network settings.
Key Takeaways
- For static HTML projects, Nginx is simple and effective.
- Always check the root folder matches your project structure.
-
Testing the Nginx config (
nginx -t) before reload saves headaches. - Proper permissions are crucial for serving files correctly.
Deploying my project was a learning experience. Even small mistakes like pointing to the wrong folder or placing directives in the wrong context can break the site—but step-by-step debugging and understanding the errors helped me fix everything quickly.This has kick started my devOps journey and I truly loved the challenge
