1. Configuration File Access and Location

The Nginx configuration for redirects is centrally managed within the file:

/etc/nginx/conf.d/example.net/10-redirects.conf

As the designated SSH user (jrc-8h3k-zzzz), you possess the necessary write permissions to modify this configuration file. Access the server via SSH and employ a preferred text editor (e.g., vim, nano) to manipulate the file contents:

vi /etc/nginx/conf.d/example.net/10-redirects.conf

2. Modifying the Redirect Directives

The 10-redirects.conf file typically contains initial examples, which should be extended or replaced with custom location blocks or rewrite directives to define the desired redirection logic.

A. Utilizing the return Directive

For simple, permanent (301) or temporary (302) redirects, the return directive is the most efficient method within a server or location block.

Syntax Example (Permanent Redirect):

location /old-page {
    return 301 /new-page;
}

This instructs Nginx to respond with an HTTP 301 Moved Permanently status code, directing the client to the new URI.

B. Utilizing the rewrite Directive

The rewrite directive offers more powerful, regex-based pattern matching for complex redirection scenarios.

Syntax Example (Regex-based Redirect):

rewrite ^/old/(\w+)/$ /new/index.php?category=$1 permanent;

This example uses a regular expression to capture a portion of the URI and use it in the target URI, followed by the 301 flag (permanent).

Key Directives:

• location: Defines a configuration block based on the request URI.
• return: Stops processing and returns the specified status code and optional URL.
• rewrite: Changes the requested URI using regex; requires a flag (e.g., permanent, redirect, last, break).

3. Applying Configuration Changes

After editing and saving the 10-redirects.conf file, the Nginx service must be reloaded or restarted for the new directives to take effect.

A. Command Line Interface (CLI) Procedure

1. Syntax Verification: Prior to restarting, execute the Nginx test command to validate the configuration syntax and prevent service failure.

   nginx -t

   A successful test will output messages confirming the syntax is OK and the test is successful.

2. Service Restart: If the configuration test passes, issue the systemctl command to initiate a graceful service restart of Nginx.

   systemctl restart nginx

   This action reloads the worker processes with the new configuration.

B. AutoPilot Interface

Alternatively, changes can be applied via the GUI:

1. Navigate to the AutoPilot Actions Tab.
2. Select the "Restart Services" dropdown.
3. Choose "Nginx".
4. Click the "Restart" button.

4. Verification and Validation

Post-restart, validate the redirection functionality by issuing requests to the source URL(s) defined in the configuration. Use a web browser or command-line tools like cURL to inspect the HTTP response headers for the expected 301 or 302 status code and the correct Location header specifying the destination URL.

cURL Verification Example:

curl -I https://example.net/old-page

Verify that the output contains the intended HTTP status and Location header.