Turn a Raspberry Pi Zero W into a Mini Web Server with SSH, Nginx & Ngrok

Introduction

After discovering the Raspberry Pi, I decided to document the whole process of turning a low‑cost Raspberry Pi Zero W into a functional mini web server.

What is Raspberry Pi?

Raspberry Pi (RPi) is a credit‑card‑sized Linux‑based micro‑computer. Despite its small size, it offers video, audio, GPIO, and other interfaces, making it a powerful platform for hobbyists and developers.

Raspberry Pi Zero W Overview

The Zero W is a miniature version of the Pi 3 B+, about one‑third the size. Key specifications:

BCM2835 processor, 1 GHz, 512 MB RAM

BCM43438 Wi‑Fi / BT chip

Micro‑USB power and OTG ports

Mini‑HDMI port

Composite video & reset pins

CSI camera connector

Micro‑SD slot for OS

40‑pin GPIO header

Dimensions: 65 mm × 30 mm

Preparation

Required items:

16 GB or 32 GB SanDisk micro‑SD card

Standard USB‑type‑A cable (not Type‑C)

SD card formatter (e.g., SDFormatter)

Win32DiskImager for flashing

Raspbian Stretch Lite image (download from the official site)

1. Download and Extract the System Image

Download the Raspbian Stretch Lite zip (≈360 MB), unzip it to obtain a .img file (~1.7 GB).

2. Write the Image to the SD Card

sudo dd if=raspbian.img of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync

Alternatively, use Win32DiskImager: select the .img, choose the SD card device, and click “Write”.

3. Configure the Boot Partition

3.1 Enable SSH

Create an empty file named ssh (no extension) in the boot partition.

3.2 Configure Wi‑Fi

Create wpa_supplicant.conf in the boot partition with the following content (replace with your SSID and password):

country=CN
ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev
update_config=1
network={
    ssid="YourWiFiSSID"
    psk="YourWiFiPassword"
}

4. Assemble and Power Up

Insert the prepared SD card into the Zero W, connect power via a micro‑USB cable (5 V 1 A). After a few minutes the LED will stay solid, indicating boot completion.

5. Find the IP Address and SSH In

Check your router’s client list; the Zero W will appear (e.g., 192.168.0.104). Use an SSH client (e.g., PuTTY) to connect with username pi and password raspberry.

6. System Optimization

6.1 Change APT Sources

Replace the default sources with a faster mirror (e.g., USTC):

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list
# comment existing lines and add:
deb http://mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/raspbian/raspbian/raspbian stretch main contrib non-free rpi

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/raspi.list
# comment existing lines and add:
deb http://mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/archive.raspberrypi.org/debian stretch main ui

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

6.2 Set Timezone

sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata

Select “Asia → Shanghai”.

6.3 Enable SSH on Boot

Method 1: sudo raspi-config → Interfacing Options → SSH → Enable.

Method 2: Add /etc/init.d/ssh start before exit 0 in /etc/rc.local.

7. Install Nginx

# Install
sudo apt-get install nginx
# Start
sudo /etc/init.d/nginx start
# Restart
sudo /etc/init.d/nginx restart
# Stop
sudo /etc/init.d/nginx stop

Visit http://192.168.0.104 in a browser to verify the Nginx welcome page.

8. Expose the Server to the Internet (Ngrok)

Use a tunneling service such as ngrok, frp, ittun, or natapp. The author prefers ittun’s ARM‑compatible ngrok client.

Run ngrok in a screen session to keep it alive in the background:

screen -S ngrok
./ngrok http 80

Access the public URL (e.g., http://zerow.ittun.com/) to reach the web server from anywhere.

9. Additional Tips

The Zero W can run other services and projects; explore the Raspberry Pi Lab for more tutorials.

Current status: Nginx and ngrok running, ~250 MB free RAM, CPU temperature stable around 37‑39 °C after two days of operation.