Converting nginx configuration to Nginx Proxy Manager for chat service deployment

Other Questions NPM
1

I need assistance in transforming an nginx reverse proxy configuration to function correctly with Nginx Proxy Manager (NPM). I’m working on deploying a chat application via Docker Compose that typically runs on ports 80 and 443. However, I’m adjusting it to operate on ports 5080 and 5443 while using a reverse proxy.

location / {
    proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:5080/;
    proxy_set_header Host $host;
    proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    
    # File upload limit
    client_max_body_size 100M;
}

# HTTPS configuration
location / {
    proxy_pass https://127.0.0.1:5443/;
    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 https;
    
    proxy_ssl_verify off;
    proxy_ssl_server_name on;
    
    # WebSocket support
    proxy_set_header Connection $http_connection;
    proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
    proxy_read_timeout 15m;
    
    client_max_body_size 100M;
}

When I create a basic proxy host in NPM pointing to my_server_ip:5080 with the necessary domain names, I encounter certificate-related issues. Additionally, when I incorporate custom location blocks, I receive 502 Bad Gateway errors. My other NPM hosts operate smoothly without the use of custom locations.

Could you guide me on how to accurately adapt this nginx configuration to work with NPM settings? What’s the right approach for managing SSL passthrough and WebSocket headers?

2

Those certificate issues happen because NPM tries to do SSL verification on your backend service. Since you’re using containers, just configure NPM to proxy to HTTP port 5080 and let NPM handle all the SSL stuff. Set your proxy host scheme to http and point it at your container’s port 5080. For WebSocket support, add these headers in the Custom Nginx Configuration: proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade; and proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";. The 502 errors usually mean your backend expects certain forwarded headers. Make sure your chat app accepts proxied connections and trusts X-Forwarded headers. Also check that your Docker Compose networking lets NPM reach the chat container on port 5080.

3

i’ve had the same npm + chat app problems. skip ssl passthrough - just point npm to http://yourserver:5080 and turn on websocket support in the gui. those 502 errors? your app probably isn’t handling reverse proxy headers right. look for a reverse proxy mode or trusted proxy setting in your chat service config.

4

I understand the struggles with transitioning to Nginx Proxy Manager. Your SSL issues likely stem from trying to connect to the HTTPS backend. Instead of proxying to port 5443, direct NPM to the http://your_server_ip:5080 endpoint for your chat service; NPM will manage the SSL. For WebSocket support, make sure to include the headers for upgrading the connection in the Advanced settings. As for the 502 Bad Gateway errors, this usually implies your chat application is not correctly handling proxied headers or is misconfigured for port 5080. Check that your app trusts the incoming proxy headers and verify that it is actively listening on the expected port.