Nginx Configuration Tutorial: Change Port, Root Folder and Index Page

By Ravindra Bagale, trainer · LinkedIn · Last updated: 18 October 2026

1. The same three settings, different names

Why. Every web server needs to know three things: which port to wait on, which folder holds the website, and which first page to show. You already changed them for Apache. Nginx has the same settings with different names.

What.

1. Port: Apache Listen, Nginx listen.
2. Folder: Apache DocumentRoot, Nginx root.
3. First page: Apache DirectoryIndex, Nginx index.

Nginx names are written in small letters, and every Nginx setting ends with a semicolon ;.

2. Where Nginx keeps its settings

Why. You can't change a setting if you don't know which file holds it. Every Nginx change in this chapter starts by opening the right file.

What. Settings files live in /etc. Nginx has its own folder, /etc/nginx, and the main file is /etc/nginx/nginx.conf. You'll meet settings files with other endings too, such as .conf, .cnf and .ini, or with names like default and 000-default.conf. They're all plain text you edit with nano.

How Nginx files are built.

1. Settings are grouped in blocks between braces { }. The website settings are in the server { } block, which sits inside the http { } block.
2. A closing brace } closes the block that was opened most recently, like brackets in maths.
3. Every setting ends with ;.
4. Lines that start with # are comments.
5. The line include /etc/nginx/conf.d/*.conf; makes Nginx load every file ending in .conf in /etc/nginx/conf.d.

3. Back up before you edit

Why. One wrong character and Nginx stops working. With a copy of the working file you can always go back in seconds.

Where to keep it. In your home folder, outside /etc/nginx. A copy left in /etc/nginx/conf.d with a name ending in .conf (for example old.conf) would be loaded as an extra settings file and can break Nginx. Your home folder is always safe.

How.

Step 1. Make the copy:

sudo cp /etc/nginx/nginx.conf ~/nginx.conf.bak

Step 2. If an edit breaks Nginx, put the copy back and reload:

sudo cp ~/nginx.conf.bak /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
sudo service nginx reload

4. Nginx on Amazon Linux: your own port, folder and first page

Why. Real servers often run a site on its own port and folder. Doing it on Nginx, after doing it on Apache, shows the job is the same and only the words change.

Example 1: what we'll build.

1. Port: 90
2. Folder: /var/www/mywebsite
3. First page: home.html
4. URL: http://PUBLIC_IP:90/

How.

Step 1. Connect to your Amazon Linux server and start Nginx (install it first with sudo yum install nginx -y if it isn't there, and make sure Apache is stopped):

sudo service nginx start

Step 2. Make the folder and the page:

sudo mkdir /var/www/mywebsite
sudo nano /var/www/mywebsite/home.html

Type:

<h1>My website on Nginx</h1>

Step 3. Back up the settings file:

sudo cp /etc/nginx/nginx.conf ~/nginx.conf.bak

Step 4. Open it:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Scroll down to server {. By default it has:

listen       80;
listen       [::]:80;
server_name  _;
root         /usr/share/nginx/html;

Step 5. Change the port on both listen lines. The first is for IPv4 addresses, the second, with [::], for IPv6. Write [::] with no spaces inside:

listen       90;
listen       [::]:90;

Step 6. Change the folder:

root         /var/www/mywebsite;

Step 7. There is no index line by default, so add one inside the server block:

index        home.html;

Don't forget the ; at the end of each line.

Step 8. Save with Ctrl+X, Y, Enter. If your finger slips and you type x without Ctrl, a stray x lands in the file, and Nginx will complain about it.

Step 9. Let Nginx check the file:

[ec2-user@ip-172-31-xx-xx ~]$ sudo nginx -t
nginx: the configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf syntax is ok
nginx: configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf test is successful

If there's a problem, it names the line, for example unknown directive "x" in /etc/nginx/nginx.conf:....

Step 10. Apply the changes:

[ec2-user@ip-172-31-xx-xx ~]$ sudo service nginx reload
Redirecting to /bin/systemctl reload nginx.service

Step 11. In the Security Group, add an inbound rule Custom TCP, port 90, source 0.0.0.0/0, and leave the 22 and 80 rules as they are.

Step 12. Open http://PUBLIC_IP:90/. You see My website on Nginx.

Example 2: browsers refuse some ports. Suppose you pick port 69. Nginx starts and the Security Group allows it, but the browser won't even send the request; it shows an error about a restricted or unsafe port. All major browsers block a fixed list of ports that belong to other services. Pick a normal port such as 90, 8080 or 9090.

Example 3: no first page gives 403. If the folder has no home.html (and no other name from the index line), http://PUBLIC_IP:90/ returns 403 Forbidden: Nginx won't list the folder. Other pages still open by name, for example http://PUBLIC_IP:90/about.html.

5. Marathi shows as strange letters: charset utf-8

Why. Indian sites often carry Marathi or Hindi text. If the server doesn't say the page is UTF-8, visitors see garbage instead of letters.

What you see. You put Marathi text in home.html:

<h1>आमचं कॉलेज</h1>

On Apache it showed fine, but through Nginx the browser shows something like आमचं कॉलेज.

Why. Your file is saved as UTF-8, the character set that covers Marathi, Hindi and every other script. Nginx doesn't tell the browser which character set the page uses, so the browser guesses an older Western one and turns each Marathi letter into several strange symbols. (Apache on Amazon Linux already sends UTF-8 by default, which is why it looked right there.)

How.

Step 1. Add this line inside the server { } block of nginx.conf:

charset      utf-8;

Step 2. Test and reload:

sudo nginx -t
sudo service nginx reload

Step 3. Refresh the page. The Marathi text shows correctly.

Also in the page itself. Put this line in the <head> of every HTML page, so the page works on any server:

<meta charset="utf-8">

6. Apache on Ubuntu: where the settings are

Why. On Ubuntu, Apache's files are arranged differently from Amazon Linux. If you look for DocumentRoot in the main file, you won't find it.

What.

1. Folder: /etc/apache2.
2. Main file: /etc/apache2/apache2.conf. It doesn't hold everything; it includes smaller files, the way a program pulls in libraries.
3. ports.conf holds the port: Listen 80.
4. sites-available/000-default.conf holds the website: <VirtualHost *:80>, DocumentRoot /var/www/html.
5. sites-enabled/000-default.conf is a link to that file in sites-available. Editing either name changes the same file; the real file is the one in sites-available.

Example 4: what we'll build on Ubuntu.

1. Port: 90
2. Folder: /var/www/mycollege
3. First page: college.html

How.

Step 1. Launch an Ubuntu server, connect as ubuntu, and install Apache. Update the package list first:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install apache2 -y
sudo service apache2 start

If the install failed, sudo service apache2 start answers Unit apache2.service not found.: run sudo apt-get update and install again.

Step 2. Look around:

cd /etc/apache2
ls

You see apache2.conf, ports.conf, sites-available, sites-enabled and more.

Step 3. Back up the two files you'll change:

sudo cp /etc/apache2/ports.conf ~/ports.conf.bak
sudo cp /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf ~/000-default.conf.bak

Step 4. Change the port in ports.conf:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/ports.conf

Change Listen 80 to:

Listen 90

Step 5. Open the website file:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf

Step 6. Change the first line to the new port, so the site answers on 90:

<VirtualHost *:90>

Step 7. Change the folder and add the first page under it:

DocumentRoot /var/www/mycollege
DirectoryIndex college.html

Step 8. Save. Make the folder and the page:

sudo mkdir /var/www/mycollege
sudo nano /var/www/mycollege/college.html

Type:

<meta charset="utf-8">
<h1>college</h1>

Step 9. Check and reload:

sudo apache2ctl configtest
sudo service apache2 reload

configtest prints Syntax OK when the files are fine.

Step 10. Add the Security Group rule for port 90 (Custom TCP, 90, 0.0.0.0/0), as before.

Step 11. Open http://PUBLIC_IP:90/. You see college.

Step 12. Run history to keep the list:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install apache2 -y
sudo service apache2 start
cd /etc/apache2
sudo nano /etc/apache2/ports.conf
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf
sudo mkdir /var/www/mycollege
sudo nano /var/www/mycollege/college.html
sudo service apache2 reload

7. When reload fails: read the status

Why. A typo in a settings file and the reload fails in red. The reason is always written down; you only have to read it.

How.

Step 1. Run the status of the service that failed:

sudo service apache2 status

Step 2. Read the lines near the end. They name the file and the line.

Example 5: a stray character. A lone x typed on its own line gives:

AH00526: Syntax error on line 14 of /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/000-default.conf:
Invalid command 'x', perhaps misspelled or defined by a module not included in the server configuration

Example 6: a misspelled name. DocumentIndex college.html instead of DirectoryIndex college.html gives the same Invalid command 'DocumentIndex' message. Fix the spelling, then reload again.

8. Nginx on Ubuntu

Why. Ubuntu splits Nginx settings into separate files. If you edit nginx.conf there and nothing changes, this is why.

What. On Ubuntu, Nginx keeps the website settings in a separate file: /etc/nginx/sites-available/default. /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default is a link to it, so either name opens the same file.

How.

Step 1. Stop Apache, then install Nginx if it isn't there yet, and start it:

sudo service apache2 stop
sudo apt-get install nginx -y
sudo service nginx start

Step 2. Back up and open the site file:

sudo cp /etc/nginx/sites-available/default ~/default.bak
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

Step 3. Change the same three settings:

listen 90 default_server;
listen [::]:90 default_server;
root /var/www/mycollege;
index college.html;

Step 4. Test, reload and open http://PUBLIC_IP:90/:

sudo nginx -t
sudo service nginx reload

You see college again, now served by Nginx.

9. Apache and Nginx together

Why. Sometimes you must move a site from Apache to Nginx without downtime, or run an old and a new site side by side. Different ports make that possible.

What. Two web servers can run on one server at the same time only on different ports. Both on port 80 is not possible: whichever starts second fails.

Example 7.

1. Nginx keeps port 80: http://PUBLIC_IP/.
2. Apache moves to 8080: Listen 8080 in ports.conf and <VirtualHost *:8080> in 000-default.conf; then http://PUBLIC_IP:8080/.
3. Open 8080 in the Security Group as well.

10. What's next

So far we wrote small pages by hand. Next, we host real website code that a developer keeps on GitHub. Later we automate it: the developer changes the code in one place, and it reaches the server by itself.

11. The whole flow on one page

1. Back up first: sudo cp <file> ~/<file>.bak.
2. Nginx on Amazon Linux: /etc/nginx/nginx.conf, server { }: listen 90;, listen [::]:90;, root /var/www/mywebsite;, index home.html;, charset utf-8;.
3. Check and apply: sudo nginx -t, sudo service nginx reload.
4. Security Group: Custom TCP for the new port. Avoid ports browsers block.
5. Apache on Ubuntu: ports.conf (Listen 90) and sites-available/000-default.conf (<VirtualHost *:90>, DocumentRoot, DirectoryIndex); sudo apache2ctl configtest, sudo service apache2 reload.
6. Failed reload: sudo service apache2 status, read the file and line, fix.
7. Nginx on Ubuntu: /etc/nginx/sites-available/default.
8. Apache and Nginx together: different ports.

12. Hands-on lab: Nginx on its own port, folder and first page

Why this lab. The safe way to change any server setting is always the same: back up, edit, test, apply, check, and know how to undo. This lab runs that loop on Nginx, with Marathi text to prove the charset line.

1. Install and start Nginx
   • Command: sudo yum install nginx -y && sudo service nginx start
   • You should see: Complete!, then Redirecting to /bin/systemctl start nginx.service.
   • Check: curl -s http://localhost | grep -i title shows the Nginx welcome title.
   • Why: If Apache is running on port 80, stop it first (sudo service httpd stop): only one program can use a port.
2. Back up the settings file
   • Command: sudo cp /etc/nginx/nginx.conf ~/nginx.conf.bak
   • You should see: Nothing.
   • Check: ls ~ shows nginx.conf.bak.
   • Why: Keep the copy outside /etc/nginx/conf.d: every .conf file there is loaded, so a backup inside it would load too.
3. Make the folder and a Marathi page
   • Command: sudo mkdir -p /var/www/mywebsite && echo "<h1>नमस्कार</h1>" | sudo tee /var/www/mywebsite/home.html
   • You should see: <h1>नमस्कार</h1>
   • Check: ls /var/www/mywebsite → home.html
   • Why: Marathi letters are multi-byte UTF-8, so they show at once whether the charset is set right.
4. Edit the server block
   • Command: sudo nano /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
   • You should see: In the server { } block set listen 90;, listen [::]:90;, root /var/www/mywebsite;, and add index home.html; and charset utf-8;. Save and exit.
   • Check: Every line you touched ends with ;.
   • Why: Both listen lines must change: one is IPv4, the other IPv6. A missing semicolon is the most common Nginx typo.
5. Test before applying
   • Command: sudo nginx -t
   • You should see: nginx: the configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf syntax is ok and nginx: configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf test is successful
   • Check: If it names a line instead, fix that line and run it again.
   • Why: -t checks the file without touching the running server. A broken file never reaches your visitors.
6. Apply with reload
   • Command: sudo service nginx reload && curl http://localhost:90
   • You should see: <h1>नमस्कार</h1>
   • Check: Open port 90 in the security group, then http://PUBLIC_IP:90/ shows नमस्कार in proper letters.
   • Why: reload reads the new settings without dropping current visitors. index home.html is why no file name is needed in the URL.
7. Run Apache next to it
   • Command: sudo service httpd start && curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}\n" http://localhost/
   • You should see: 200
   • Check: Port 80 answers from Apache and port 90 from Nginx, on the same server.
   • Why: Two web servers can share a machine only on different ports. This is how you move a site from one to the other without downtime.
8. Restore and stop
   • Command: sudo cp ~/nginx.conf.bak /etc/nginx/nginx.conf && sudo nginx -t && sudo service nginx reload
   • You should see: The two nginx -t success lines.
   • Check: curl http://localhost:90 now fails. Stop the instance.
   • Why: Restoring the backup and testing again proves your undo works, which is the whole point of taking it.

13. Try at home

Recap

Ravindra Bagale, trainer: linkedin.com/in/ravindra-bagale. The folders mywebsite and mycollege, the pages home.html, about.html and college.html, and the Marathi sample text are examples for learning; PUBLIC_IP stands for your instance's public IPv4 address. Parts of the outputs are shortened with "..."; line numbers in the error examples and the hostname in the prompt are illustrative.

Revision, comparison and interview cards

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