How to Configure Apache & Nginx Settings in Plesk

How to Configure Apache & Nginx Settings in Plesk

In Plesk, Apache and Nginx work together to serve websites.
This configuration section allows you to fine-tune how both web servers handle traffic for each domain.

Step 1: Log in to Plesk

Go to:

https://your-server-ip:8443

Log in with your Plesk credentials.

Step 2: Go to Websites & Domains

• Click Websites & Domains from the sidebar

• Select the domain you want to configure

Step 3: Click “Apache & nginx Settings”

Under the domain’s management tools, click Apache & nginx Settings.

Step 4: Configure Web Server Settings

Here you’ll see various customizable settings. The most common and important ones include:

1. Smart Static Files Handling (Nginx)

Enable “Serve static files directly by nginx” for faster loading of:

• .jpg, .png, .css, .js, .ico, etc.

✅ Recommended for most websites — improves speed and reduces server load.

2. Apache and Nginx Additional Directives

Use these fields to enter custom configuration code for specific behaviors.

• Additional Apache directives — applies to .htaccess-level configs

• Additional nginx directives — good for caching rules, redirects, rewrites

Example nginx directive for caching static files:

location ~* \.(jpg|jpeg|png|gif|ico|css|js)$ {
  expires 30d;
  access_log off;
}

3. Redirects and HTTPS Handling

• Enable/disable Permanent SEO-safe 301 redirect from HTTP to HTTPS

• Adjust proxy mode if you want Apache to handle PHP processing

⚠️ Disable Proxy Mode only if using PHP-FPM with Nginx directly.

4. Compression (GZIP/Brotli)

Some Plesk environments allow enabling GZIP compression here or through Performance Boosters or Nginx directives.

To enable manually:

gzip on;
gzip_types text/plain application/javascript application/x-javascript text/css;

5. Security Headers (Optional)

You can add security headers via directives for improved protection.

Example (Apache):

Header always set X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN"
Header always set X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff"
Header always set Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin"

Step 5: Save Settings

After making changes, click OK or Apply.

Changes are applied instantly to the selected domain's configuration.

Summary