Compiling Nginx from source provides greater control over the binary features and optimization for specific server environments. This process involves setting up the build enviroment, installing necessary libraries, and executing the compilation workflow.

1. Preparation of Installation Directories

Create a dedicated workspace to store the source code packages. A common practice is using the /opt directory for software source management.

mkdir -p /opt/source/nginx_build
cd /opt/source/nginx_build

Ensure that the following source tarballs are placed in this directory:

• nginx-1.20.1.tar.gz
• openssl-1.0.1t.tar.gz
• pcre-8.37.tar.gz
• zlib-1.2.8.tar.gz

2. Environment Setup

Nginx and its depandencies require C and C++ compilers. Use the package manager to verify and install these build tools.

yum install -y gcc gcc-c++

3. Building Dependencies

Nginx relies on PCRE (for regular expressions), OpenSSL (for HTTPS/TLS), and Zlib (for Gzip compression). These must be compiled and installed sequentially.

PCRE Installation

tar -zxvf pcre-8.37.tar.gz
cd pcre-8.37
./configure
make
make install
cd ..

OpenSSL Installation

tar -zxvf openssl-1.0.1t.tar.gz
cd openssl-1.0.1t
./config
make
make install
cd ..

Zlib Installation

tar -zxvf zlib-1.2.8.tar.gz
cd zlib-1.2.8
./configure
make
make install
cd ..

4. Compiling and Installing Nginx

Once the libraries are ready, proceed to compile the Nginx binary. The default installation path is typically /usr/local/nginx.

tar -zxvf nginx-1.20.1.tar.gz
cd nginx-1.20.1
./configure
make
make install

5. Post-Installation Verification

The installation creates four main subdirectories under /usr/local/nginx:

• conf: Configuration files (e.g., nginx.conf)
• html: Static web assets
• logs: Log files and PID files
• sbin: The Nginx binary executable

6. Service Management Commands

Navigate to the binary directory to manage the Nginx service lifecycle.

cd /usr/local/nginx/sbin

Start Nginx

./nginx

Stop Nginx

./nginx -s stop

Reload Configuration

To apply changes in nginx.conf without restarting the service:

./nginx -s reload

Check Version Information

./nginx -v

7. Configuration File Location

The primary configuration file is located at: /usr/local/nginx/conf/nginx.conf

You can verify the presence of the default configuration and its backups in the conf folder using ls -l /usr/local/nginx/conf.