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Choose the connection method for your setup
| Where Nginx runs | Recommended Nginx UI approach | How files and service control are accessed |
|---|---|---|
| Installed directly on a Linux host | Install Nginx UI on Linux with its installation script | Nginx UI runs as a service and manages the host installation. Nginx UI getting-started guide |
| In a separate Docker container | Set ContainerName to the Nginx container |
Docker socket for container status and control; shared config and log paths for file access. Nginx UI Docker configuration guide |
| Installed on the host while Nginx UI runs in Docker | Use Preferences → Nginx → Host via SSH | SSH/SFTP or bind-mounted host files, with platform-specific service permissions. Nginx UI Host via SSH guide |
The standard Nginx UI Docker image includes Nginx; that does not mean it automatically manages a separate Nginx already installed on the host. The getting-started guide recommends another installation method when your aim is host Nginx management. See the installation guidance.
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Manage Nginx installed directly on a Linux host
If Nginx is installed natively on Linux and you want Nginx UI to control that host service, the documented route is Nginx UI’s Linux installation script. The script installs Nginx UI as a service and detects the host service manager. This is a Linux-only installation method. Nginx UI getting-started guide
The default Nginx UI listening port is 9000, and the HTTP challenge port is 9180. Check that these ports are available before setup. On first startup, the script prints a one-time web setup secret; the default secret-file location is /usr/local/etc/nginx-ui/.install_secret. Use the secret during first-run setup in a browser at the host address and configured port. It is removed after setup completes or the setup window expires. Installation and first-run details
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Connect Nginx UI to Nginx in another Docker container
If Nginx runs in its own container, Nginx UI can target it rather than installing another managed Nginx. Configure ContainerName with the name of the container that runs Nginx. When Nginx UI itself is in Docker, mount the host Docker socket—commonly /var/run/docker.sock—into the Nginx UI container. Nginx UI Docker configuration guide
Mount the Nginx configuration directory and log directory into both containers at the same paths. The mounts must be writable from Nginx UI so it can edit configuration; they may be read-only in the Nginx container. The Docker socket and container-name setting route status and control commands, while Nginx UI reads and writes files through its own filesystem. A socket mount is powerful access to Docker, so grant it only to an instance you trust.
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Docker setup checklist
- Identify the Nginx container name and set
ContainerNameaccordingly. - Make the Docker socket available to Nginx UI if it runs in a container.
- Mount the same config and log directories in both containers at identical paths.
- Ensure Nginx UI can write the configuration mount; decide separately whether Nginx needs write access.
Run Nginx UI in Docker and manage host-installed Nginx
For native Nginx on the same physical or virtual machine as a Dockerized Nginx UI, select Preferences → Nginx → Host via SSH and launch the setup wizard. This is a distinct route from managing an Nginx container: it connects to the host over SSH and configures access to host service and files. Host via SSH guide
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Platform requirements
- Linux: Nginx must be managed by systemd. The SSH account needs narrowly scoped, passwordless sudo permission for the required commands, invoked non-interactively with
sudo -n. - macOS: Nginx must be a Homebrew-managed user service owned by the login user configured for the connection.
Complete the wizard
- Configure the SSH target and connection details.
- Review and trust the host key, then test the SSH connection. Treat a changed trusted host key as security-sensitive; verify the host identity before accepting it.
- Let the wizard detect the platform and Nginx paths.
- Choose SFTP or mounted file access and apply the generated host/container settings.
- Run verification and resolve any reported connectivity, permission, path, service-state, or configuration problem.
The wizard checks SSH connectivity and whether nginx -t accepts the configuration. Its setup checks also cover platform and service state, config writability, log readability, PID presence, and required sudo access. Wizard and verification details
Choose SFTP or mounted access for host files
| Access method | How it works | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| SFTP | Reads and writes host configuration and logs over SSH/SFTP. | No host directory bind mounts are needed. Host file changes cannot be watched, so externally changed config and certificate indexes may take up to 30 seconds to appear. Certificate scans do not find certificates that exist only on the host. Host via SSH guide |
| Mounted files | Reads host directories through bind mounts. | Faster file access, but the Nginx UI container must be recreated with the generated mounts. Persist /etc/nginx-ui so the trusted-host-key allow-list survives container rebuilds. Host via SSH guide |
Check Nginx’s configuration layout
Nginx UI’s site editor follows the Debian-style layout: new site files go in sites-available, and enabled sites are symlinked into sites-enabled. Some Nginx installations use a different layout or include pattern. Confirm the actual configuration path and includes on the target before editing. Nginx UI configuration guidance
If the active nginx.conf does not include sites-enabled, adjust its http context to include the directories your installation uses. For example, the guide illustrates including both /etc/nginx/conf.d/*.conf and /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/*. Do not add paths blindly: the correct files and include locations depend on the existing installation.
Apply changes and verify the live service
Editing a file does not make NGINX start using it. NGINX’s Beginner’s Guide states: “Changes made in the configuration file will not be applied until the command to reload configuration is sent to nginx or it is restarted.” A reload checks the new configuration syntax first. If it is valid, new workers start and old workers shut down; if it is invalid, NGINX rolls back and keeps the old configuration. NGINX Beginner’s Guide
Quick Recap
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- Use Nginx UI’s verification results to address SSH, path, file-access, service, PID, or sudo problems.
- Confirm the expected site file is in the configuration tree NGINX actually includes.
- Validate the configuration with
nginx -tbefore relying on a reload; Host via SSH verification checks this as part of setup. - Reload or restart NGINX after a valid change so it takes effect.
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