Configuring nginx as a proxy to NodeBB
======================================

NodeBB by default runs on port `4567`, meaning that builds are usually accessed using a port number in addition to their hostname:

    http://example.org:4567

In order to allow NodeBB to be served without a port, nginx can be set up to proxy all requests to a particular hostname (or subdomain) to an upstream NodeBB build running on any port.

## Requirements

* NGINX version v1.3.13 or greater
    * Package managers may not provide a new enough version. To get the latest version, [compile it yourself](http://nginx.org/en/download.html), or if on Ubuntu, use the [NGINX Stable](https://launchpad.net/~nginx/+archive/stable) or [NGINX Development](https://launchpad.net/~nginx/+archive/development) PPA builds, if you are on Debian, use [DotDeb repository](http://www.dotdeb.org/instructions/) to get the latest version of Nginx.
    * To determine your nginx version, execute `nginx -V` in a shell

## Configuration

NGINX-served sites are contained in a `server` block. This block of options goes in a specific place based on how nginx was installed and configured:

* `/path/to/nginx/sites-available/*` -- files here must be aliased to `../sites-enabled`
* `/path/to/nginx/conf.d/*.conf` -- filenames must end in `.conf`
* `/path/to/nginx/httpd.conf` -- if all else fails

Below is the basic nginx configuration for a NodeBB build running on port `4567`:

``` nginx
server {
    listen 80;

    server_name forum.example.org;

    location / {
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header Host $http_host;
        proxy_set_header X-NginX-Proxy true;

        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:4567/;
        proxy_redirect off;

        # Socket.IO Support
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
    }
}
```

## Notes

* nginx must be on version 1.4.x to properly support websockets. Debian/Ubuntu use 1.2, although it will work there will be a reduction in functionality.
* The `proxy_pass` IP should be `127.0.0.1` if your NodeBB is hosted on the same physical server as your nginx server. Update the port to match your NodeBB, if necessary.
* This config sets up your nginx server to listen to requests for `forum.example.org`. It doesn't magically route the internet to it, though, so you also have to update your DNS server to send requests for `forum.example.org` to the machine with nginx on it!