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Run the Java application on port 8080 and let a reverse proxy such as Nginx be the only public listener on port 80. The proxy forwards requests for the Java app to 127.0.0.1:8080 and sends blog requests to a separate backend, using hostnames or URL paths to decide which service receives each request. In Spring Boot, set server.port=8080 and explicitly enable forwarded-header handling so redirects, HTTPS detection and client addresses work correctly behind the proxy.
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The architecture: one public port, several private services
Two independent processes cannot both bind directly to the same IP address and TCP port. The solution is to give port 80 to one edge process—the reverse proxy—and keep the Java process on 8080. The proxy accepts the browser connection, examines the request, and opens a second connection to the appropriate backend.
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A typical request flow is:
- A DNS record points
app.example.comandblog.example.comto the server. - Nginx listens on
0.0.0.0:80(and, if configured, the server’s IPv6 address). - A request for
app.example.comis forwarded to the Java process at127.0.0.1:8080. - A request for
blog.example.comis forwarded to the blog’s own listening port.
The Java and blog processes therefore do not compete for port 80. Only the proxy needs to be reachable from the internet; private backend ports can be blocked by the firewall.
Choose how the blog and Java app share port 80
Hostname-based routing
Use separate hostnames, such as app.example.com for the Java app and blog.example.com for the blog. Nginx selects a server block from the HTTP Host header. This is usually the cleanest arrangement because each application keeps its own root URL, cookies and asset paths.
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Path-based routing
Alternatively, expose both services under one hostname, for example example.com/ for the Java app and example.com/blog/ for the blog. This uses location blocks instead of separate hostnames. Check that the blog supports a subdirectory URL: applications that generate absolute links, set cookies for the root path or assume they live at / may need additional base-URL settings.
| Decision | Hostname routing | Path routing |
|---|---|---|
| Public URLs | app.example.com and blog.example.com |
example.com/ and example.com/blog/ |
| Application changes | Usually minimal | Blog and Java app may need a configured base path |
| Proxy selection | server_name chooses the backend |
location prefix chooses the backend |
| Cookie and asset isolation | Strong separation by host | Requires careful path and cookie configuration |
Configure Spring Boot to listen on 8080
Set the port in application.properties
Spring Boot’s embedded server uses port 8080 by default for a standalone application. Make the choice explicit in src/main/resources/application.properties:
server.port=8080
server.forward-headers-strategy=FRAMEWORKThe first property fixes the Java application’s listening port. The second tells Spring Boot to process the proxy’s forwarded headers with Spring’s forwarded-header support. Use NATIVE instead when you want the servlet container’s native forwarded-header handling and your container is configured for it. NONE ignores forwarded headers and is inappropriate when the application must know the original scheme, host or client address.
Override the port at launch
You can keep the packaged configuration unchanged and pass a command-line property when starting the application:
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java -jar app.jar --server.port=8080Spring Boot’s relaxed binding also accepts the environment variable SERVER_PORT=8080. Use one configuration method consistently so an environment variable or command-line argument does not unexpectedly override the file.
Bind the backend privately
If the proxy and Java process run on the same machine, binding the Java listener to loopback prevents direct external connections to 8080. The exact setting depends on how your application is deployed; verify the resulting socket with a listening-port command after changing it. If the app is on another host or in a container network, use the private address that the proxy can reach instead of loopback.
Install and configure the reverse proxy
Install Nginx using your operating system’s package manager, then create a site configuration. Distribution layouts differ: some load files from a directory such as /etc/nginx/conf.d/, while others enable files from a sites-enabled directory. Keep the example below as a template and place it where your installation includes it.
Hostname-based configuration
server {
listen 80;
server_name app.example.com;
location / {
proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8080;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $remote_addr;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
}
}
server {
listen 80;
server_name blog.example.com;
location / {
proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $remote_addr;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
}
}The blog’s upstream port in this example is illustrative; replace 3000 with the port on which your blog actually listens. Both services can use port 80 because Nginx distinguishes the requests by hostname.
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Path-based configuration
server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com;
location / {
proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8080;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $remote_addr;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
}
location /blog/ {
proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000/;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $remote_addr;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
}
}Whether the trailing slash on proxy_pass is correct depends on whether the blog expects the /blog/ prefix or expects requests without it. Test generated links, stylesheets, images, feeds and administrative URLs before choosing this form.
Forwarded headers and Spring Boot security
A proxy terminates the browser’s connection and creates a new backend connection. Without extra headers, the Java app may see the proxy’s address as the client and may believe the request used HTTP even when the original request used HTTPS.
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The important headers are:
Host: the public hostname requested by the browser.X-Forwarded-For: the originating client address.X-Forwarded-Proto: the original scheme, such ashttporhttps.
Set these values at the edge proxy. The configuration above assigns X-Forwarded-For from Nginx’s connection address, rather than blindly trusting a value supplied by an outside client. Spring Security documentation warns that forwarded headers are client-controlled unless the trusted proxy overwrites or strips them.
Spring Boot exposes three strategies through server.forward-headers-strategy:
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| Value | Behavior | When to use |
|---|---|---|
NATIVE |
Use the embedded servlet container’s forwarded-header support. | Use when the container is configured to process the headers correctly. |
FRAMEWORK |
Use Spring’s ForwardedHeaderFilter for servlet applications or ForwardedHeaderTransformer for reactive applications. |
A predictable choice when you want Spring itself to apply the proxy metadata. |
NONE |
Ignore forwarded headers. | Only when no trusted proxy metadata is required. |
Spring Boot defaults to NATIVE on a supported cloud platform and NONE elsewhere. A self-managed Nginx server therefore needs an explicit strategy if the app must reconstruct the public request.
Start-up sequence and verification
- Start the Java application and confirm it reports a successful bind on port 8080.
- Start the blog on its own private port and verify that it responds locally.
- Check that port 80 is free before starting Nginx:
sudo ss -tlnp | grep :80If another process already owns the port, stop it or move it before continuing.
- Validate the Nginx configuration with the distribution’s configuration-test command, commonly
sudo nginx -t. - Reload Nginx after a successful test so active connections are not unnecessarily dropped.
- From the server, test the Java backend directly with
curl http://127.0.0.1:8080/. A response here proves the app is listening, but does not prove that proxy routing is correct. - Test through each public hostname and inspect the response’s redirects, absolute links, cookies and generated URLs.
Diagnose common failures
Nginx reports “address already in use”
Another service has bound port 80, or an old Nginx process is still running. Use sudo ss -tlnp | grep :80 to identify the owner, then stop or reconfigure that service. Do not move the Java app to port 80 merely to avoid the conflict; keeping it on 8080 preserves the proxy boundary.
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Nginx cannot connect to the configured upstream. Confirm that the Java process is running, that it is listening on the address in proxy_pass, and that local firewall rules permit the connection. If the app was bound to loopback, the proxy must run on the same host; a proxy on another machine cannot reach 127.0.0.1 on the application host.
Redirects point to the wrong scheme or port
This usually means the application is not processing the proxy metadata. Confirm that Nginx sets Host and X-Forwarded-Proto, then set Spring Boot’s forwarded-header strategy to NATIVE or FRAMEWORK. Make sure an untrusted client cannot inject replacement forwarded headers before they reach the application.
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The application logs the proxy address instead of the visitor
Check the X-Forwarded-For value set by Nginx and verify that Spring’s selected strategy is active. If there is more than one proxy, document the trusted chain and configure each edge to overwrite or append headers deliberately rather than accepting arbitrary client values.
The blog loads without CSS or images
This is common with path-based routing when the blog believes it is installed at the domain root. Prefer a dedicated blog hostname, or configure the blog’s public base URL and adjust the path-prefix handling so generated asset and canonical URLs include /blog/.
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On Linux, ports below 1024 normally require root privileges or the CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE capability. Running the Java virtual machine on 8080 avoids granting that privilege to the application. Let the proxy, which is designed to be the public edge, own port 80, and run the Java process with the least privileges needed for its files and service account.
After HTTP routing works, add HTTPS at the proxy if your deployment requires encrypted public traffic. The TLS termination point changes which component receives certificates and which component must set X-Forwarded-Proto; keep that choice consistent with the Spring Boot strategy. Restrict direct access to 8080 and the blog’s backend port so users cannot bypass hostname, authentication or header policy at Nginx.
Proxy alternatives and routing choices
| Axis | Nginx | Apache HTTP Server | Cloud load balancer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | On the application host or a nearby reverse-proxy host | On the application host or a nearby reverse-proxy host | Provider-managed edge, usually forwarding to a private service |
| Routing key | Hostname or path rules | Hostname or path rules | Provider-specific host/path rules |
| Forwarded-header responsibility | Overwrite headers at the trusted edge | Overwrite headers at the trusted edge | Confirm exactly which headers the service supplies and which your instance must trust |
| TLS termination | At Nginx or at the Java app | At Apache or at the Java app | Often at the managed edge, with private forwarding to the origin |
The essential design does not change: one trusted edge owns the public listener, routes each request to the correct backend, and communicates the original host, scheme and client address through headers that the application is configured to process.
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