> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.opus-host.de/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Install Nginx and Serve a Website on Your Free VPS

> Install Nginx on your Opus Host VPS, deploy a static or PHP website, and configure a domain name to make your site publicly accessible.

This guide walks you through installing Nginx on your Opus Host VPS, serving a website, and optionally pointing a domain name to it. By the end you'll have a live site accessible over HTTP — and optionally secured with a free TLS certificate from Let's Encrypt.

<Note>
  You need a running VPS with SSH access. If you haven't claimed yours yet, see [Claim Your VPS](/claim-your-vps).
</Note>

## Install Nginx

<Steps>
  <Step title="Connect to your VPS via SSH">
    Open a terminal and SSH into your server:

    ```bash theme={null}
    ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Update packages">
    Make sure your package lists are current and all installed packages are up to date:

    ```bash theme={null}
    apt update && apt upgrade -y
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install Nginx">
    Install Nginx from the default APT repository:

    ```bash theme={null}
    apt install nginx -y
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start and enable Nginx">
    Start the service immediately and configure it to launch automatically on every reboot:

    ```bash theme={null}
    systemctl start nginx
    systemctl enable nginx
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open port 80 in the FreeHost panel">
    Navigate to [Networking](/panel/networking) in the FreeHost panel and add an inbound rule to allow TCP traffic on port **80**. Without this step your server won't be reachable from the internet.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify the default page">
    Open `http://YOUR_SERVER_IP` in a browser. You should see the **Welcome to nginx!** page, which confirms Nginx is running and publicly accessible.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Deploy Your Website

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a directory for your site">
    Create a dedicated folder to hold your website files:

    ```bash theme={null}
    mkdir -p /var/www/mysite
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Upload your files">
    You can upload files using the [File Manager](/panel/file-manager) in the Opus Host panel, or transfer them from your local machine with SCP:

    ```bash theme={null}
    scp -r ./mysite root@YOUR_SERVER_IP:/var/www/mysite
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create an Nginx server block">
    Create a new configuration file for your site:

    Create the file `/etc/nginx/sites-available/mysite` with the following content:

    ```nginx theme={null}
    server {
        listen 80;
        server_name YOUR_DOMAIN_OR_IP;
        root /var/www/mysite;
        index index.html index.php;
    }
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enable the site and reload Nginx">
    Symlink the config into `sites-enabled`, test for syntax errors, then reload Nginx to apply the changes:

    ```bash theme={null}
    ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/mysite /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
    nginx -t && systemctl reload nginx
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Add HTTPS with Let's Encrypt

<Steps>
  <Step title="Point your domain to your VPS">
    Before requesting a certificate, make sure your domain's DNS A record points to your VPS IP address. See [Custom Domain](/guides/custom-domain) for a step-by-step walkthrough.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install Certbot">
    Install Certbot and its Nginx plugin:

    ```bash theme={null}
    apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Obtain a certificate">
    Run Certbot with the `--nginx` flag so it automatically edits your server block to enable HTTPS:

    ```bash theme={null}
    certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com
    ```

    Follow the interactive prompts to enter your email address and agree to the terms of service.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test automatic renewal">
    Certbot installs a systemd timer that renews certificates before they expire. Test the renewal process with a dry run:

    ```bash theme={null}
    certbot renew --dry-run
    ```

    If the command completes without errors, auto-renewal is working correctly.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  For PHP sites, install PHP-FPM alongside Nginx:

  ```bash theme={null}
  apt install php-fpm php-mysql -y
  ```

  Then update your Nginx server block to pass `.php` requests to the FPM socket:

  ```nginx theme={null}
  location ~ \.php$ {
      include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
      fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php-fpm.sock;
  }
  ```
</Tip>