How to Redirect HTTP to HTTPS in Nginx (Manual Configuration)

3 months ago
nikolay
1 minute

Redirecting from HTTP to HTTPS in Nginx

Redirecting HTTP to HTTPS ensures all traffic to your website is encrypted and secure via an SSL certificate.

✅ 1. Full Example Nginx Configuration File

Path: /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com
(or sometimes /etc/nginx/conf.d/ depending on your setup)


✅ 2. Explanation of Key Directives

  • listen 80 — handles plain HTTP requests.
  • return 301 https://$host$request_uri — redirects all HTTP traffic to the secure HTTPS version.
  • listen 443 ssl — enables listening on port 443 (HTTPS).
  • ssl_certificate and ssl_certificate_key — paths to your SSL certificate and private key.
  • ssl_protocols and ssl_ciphers — define which TLS versions and encryption ciphers to use.

✅ 3. Enable the Configuration

If using sites-available, link the file to sites-enabled:

✅ 4. Test and Reload Nginx
Reload Nginx:

Optional: HSTS (Strict HTTPS)

To force browsers to always use HTTPS (even on future visits), add this line inside the HTTPS server block:

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