Step-by-Step Guide to Compile, Install, and Configure Nginx on CentOS 7

Introduction

After covering basic Nginx concepts, this guide walks through compiling, installing, and configuring Nginx 1.11.1 on a CentOS 7.5 machine.

Preparation

A Linux host (CentOS 7.5).

Download the Nginx source package from the official site.

Install Dependencies

yum -y install make zlib zlib-devel gcc-c++ libtool openssl openssl-devel pcre pcre-devel

Verify installation with rpm -qa.

Create Nginx User

useradd -M -s /sbin/nologin nginx

Download and Extract Source

wget http://nginx.org/download/nginx-1.11.1.tar.gz

tar -xf nginx-1.11.1.tar.gz -C /usr/src

Compile and Install

# step 1: extract (already done)

cd /usr/src/nginx-1.11.1/

./configure --user=nginx --group=nginx --prefix=/usr/local/nginx

make -j 4 && make install

ln -s /usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx /usr/local/sbin/

Start Nginx

Run /usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx and open a browser at http://<em>your‑IP</em> to confirm the default page.

Firewall Configuration

If the page is not reachable, either disable the firewall or open port 80:

systemctl stop firewalld && systemctl disable firewalld

firewall-cmd --add-service=http --permanent

firewall-cmd --add-port=80/tcp --permanent

firewall-cmd --reload

Nginx Common Commands

cd /usr/local/nginx/sbin

./nginx -v            # show version

./nginx -t            # test configuration

./nginx               # start

ps -aux | grep nginx  # verify process

./nginx -s reload     # graceful reload

./nginx -s stop       # stop

echo "/usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx &" >> /etc/rc.local   # enable at boot