Setting up reverse proxy with Nginx for IDE Services backend server

This is step by by step guide for installing and configuring Nginx, creating self-signed OpenSSL certitificates, and exposing the service through HTTPS.

Step 1: Install Nginx

sudo apt update 
sudo apt install nginx

Step 2: Generate a Self-Signed SSL Certificate with OpenSSL

sudo openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 365 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout /etc/ssl/private/nginx-selfsigned.key -out /etc/ssl/certs/nginx-selfsigned.crt

Follow the prompts to fill in the certificate information. For the Common Name (CN) field, use your server name: ec2-3-125-46-216.eu-central-1.compute.amazonaws.com.

Step 3: Configure Nginx

Create a new configuration file for your service:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/ides

Add the following configuration:

server { 
    listen 80; 
    server_name ec2-3-125-46-216.eu-central-1.compute.amazonaws.com; 
    return 301 https://$host$request_uri; 
} 

server { 
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name ec2-3-125-46-216.eu-central-1.compute.amazonaws.com; 
    ssl_certificate /etc/ssl/certs/nginx-selfsigned.crt; 
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/ssl/private/nginx-selfsigned.key; 

    location / { 
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8443; 
        proxy_set_header Host $host; 
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr; 
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for; 
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme; 
    } 
}

Step 4: Enable the Configuration

Create a symbolic link to enable the site:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/ides /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Step 5: Test Nginx Configuration and Restart Nginx

sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 6: Firewall Configuration

If UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) is enabled, allow HTTP and HTTPS traffic:

sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'

Step 7: Test Your Service

You should now be able to access your service securely via HTTPS using your server name (ec2-3-125-46-216.eu-central-1.compute.amazonaws.com).

Please note that since you're using a self-signed certificate, your browser may show a warning about the certificate not being trusted. This is expected with self-signed certificates and can be ignored for testing purposes. For production use, consider obtaining a trusted certificate from a certificate authority.