Deploy an Nginx service using SAE

How it works

Nginx receives client requests and either serves static files directly or forwards requests to a backend application based on URI patterns. The response goes back to the client through Nginx.

Choose your scenario

Identify which scenario applies to you before starting — some steps are scenario-specific.

The Nginx container in this guide listens on port 80. When you attach a Classic Load Balancer (CLB) instance in step 4, set Container Port to 80.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that you have:

• Docker installed in your local environment or on an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance

• An image repository in Container Registry (ACR) — Enterprise Edition or Personal Edition

• (Reverse proxy only) A backend application accessible from the internet or from within your Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)

Step 1: Prepare static website resources

This guide uses the following sample file: nginx-demo.zip.

The archive contains:

• html/index.html — the default index page

• html/error.html — the default 404 error page

• conf/nginx.conf — the Nginx configuration file

In production, replace these files with your own static resources and configuration.

Step 2: Write the Nginx configuration file

The sample conf/nginx.conf covers two configurations: static resource access and request forwarding.

...
    server {
        listen       80 default_server; # Listen on port 80.
        ...
        root         /usr/share/nginx/html;
        include /etc/nginx/default.d/*.conf;

        # Serve index.html for requests to the root path.
        location / {
            root /usr/share/nginx/html; # Path where static files are stored in the container.
            index index.html;
        }

        # Return error.html for 404 errors.
        error_page 404 /error.html;
        location = /error.html {
            root /usr/share/nginx/html;
        }
    }
...

...
        # Forward /api/* requests to the backend application.
        location /api/ {
            proxy_pass http://121.40.xx.xx:80/;
        }
...

Step 3: Build and push the image

# Base image
FROM nginx:1.20.2

# Copy the Nginx configuration file into the container.
COPY conf/nginx.conf /etc/nginx/nginx.conf

# Copy static files into the container.
COPY html /usr/share/nginx/html

docker build . -t my-nginx:1.0
# .: Use the current directory as the build context.
# -t: Set the image name and tag.

# Start the container.
docker run -d -p 80:80 my-nginx:1.0

# Test static file access.
curl localhost:80/

# Test request forwarding (reverse proxy only).
curl localhost:80/api/

Step 4: Deploy Nginx and configure network access

1. Deploy the Nginx application from the image you pushed to ACR. See Deploy an application from an image.

2. (Reverse proxy with public backend only) By default, applications in SAE cannot access the internet. If your Nginx service forwards requests to a public endpoint, configure an Internet NAT gateway for the VPC. See Configure an Internet NAT gateway to enable SAE applications to access the internet.

3. Attach a CLB instance to expose the Nginx service on a public IP address. See Attach a CLB instance to an application to generate a public or private endpoint. Set Container Port to 80.

   To let clients access the Nginx service through a domain name, configure DNS resolution for the public IP address.

4. Open a browser and navigate to the public IP address to verify the deployment.

Step 5 (optional): Update the Nginx configuration without rebuilding the image

Use a configuration item (ConfigMap) to inject an updated nginx.conf into the running container. This avoids rebuilding the image every time you change the configuration.

1. Create a configuration item (ConfigMap) in the namespace of the Nginx application. See Create a configuration item (ConfigMap). Set Configuration Item Name to nginx. Add a key named nginx.conf and set its value to the content of the updated configuration file.

   

2. Inject the configuration file and redeploy the application. See Inject configurations. For Configuration Item, select the nginx ConfigMap. For Key, select nginx.conf. Set Mount Path to /etc/nginx/nginx.conf.

   

3. After the application redeploys, use WebShell to log in to an application instance and verify that the updated configuration file is in place.