How to test nginx subdomains on localhost - nginx

Question

I want to test nginx subdomains before uploading config to the server. Can i test it on localhost? I try
server {
listen 80;
server_name localhost;
location / {
proxy_pass http://localhost:8080;
}
}
server {
listen 80;
server_name sub.localhost;
location / {
proxy_pass http://localhost:8080/sub;
}
}
And it does not work. Shoulld i change my hosts file in order to make it work? Also, after uploading site to the server should i change DNS records and add sub.mydomain.com?

Answer 1

Yes, add '127.0.0.1 sub.localhost' to your hosts file. That sub has to be resolved somehow. That should work.
Then once you're ready to go to the net, yes, add an a or cname record for the subdomain sub.
When I use proxy_pass I also include the proxy.conf from nginx.
http://wiki.nginx.org/HttpProxyModule

Answer 2

In Linux based OS just to edit as sudo /etc/hosts file and change 127.0.0.1 localhost to 127.0.0.1 *.localhost.
So at /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/<environment>/<your_project_name> edit server_name key as <subdomain>.localhost.
Reload nginx and networking service.
$ sudo service nginx reload
$ sudo service networking reload
And then try http://<subdomain>.localhost at url bar.
It works for me.
UPDATE
In my opinion, a better solution is creating a virtual server that only responds if subdomain doesn’t exist, at /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/development/default, as default server (remember that you can define only one server as default).
server {
listen 80 default_server;
root /var/www/html/errors/404;
server_name *.localhost *.<host-name>;
location / {
index subdomain.html;
}
}
Make sure that in nginx.conf (generally at /etc/nginx/nginx.conf) contain include /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/**/*; to this virtual server work. If not, put it and then run $ sudo service nginx reload.
In this case isn't necessary put *.localhost in /etc/hosts, but only localhost.

Answer 3

For your public webserver with its own domain name, you just need to add a Canonical name using a CNAME record in your DNS configuration:
CNAME * example.com.
Once this is done, set your nginx setting
server_name *.example.com example.com;
In your local setup you can keep the same configuration for nginx but unless you have a local DNS setup, you will have to edit your /etc/hosts file and add each subdomain manually. wildcards don't work in the /etc/hosts file.
127.0.0.1 abc.example.com def.example.com ghi.example.com
It is generally recommended to use .local as the namespace for your local domains.

Answer 4

With an Nginx configuration like shown by the OP, all that is needed is to configure the local DNS resolution. I run Linux containers on a VM with a local DHCP IP but test them on Windows 10 browsers.
The DNS configuration can be done by editing "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts" as Administrator.
192.168.100.50 sub.example.local
192.168.100.50 example.local
Of course, use 127.0.0.1 or other appropriate IP as needed.