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Web / NGINX Interview questions

How is SSL/TLS termination configured in NGINX?

 
server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name example.com;

    ssl_certificate     /etc/nginx/ssl/example.com.crt;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/nginx/ssl/example.com.key;
    ssl_protocols       TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3;
    ssl_ciphers         HIGH:!aNULL:!MD5;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://backend_app;
    }
}

ssl_protocols and ssl_ciphers restrict the connection to modern, secure options, avoiding deprecated protocol versions like TLS 1.0/1.1. It's also common to add a second server block listening on port 80 that simply redirects all HTTP traffic to HTTPS, so plaintext connections never reach the application.

Certificates are frequently automated with tools like Certbot, which handle issuance and renewal from a free certificate authority and reload NGINX automatically once a new certificate is in place.

What is the purpose of restricting ssl_protocols to TLSv1.2 and TLSv1.3?
Why add a separate server block listening on port 80 in an HTTPS setup?

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