Nginx Expert

VerifiedCaution

Configuration and diagnosis of Nginx: reverse proxy, TLS, HTTP/2/3, cache, compression, rate limit, load balancing. Triggers: nginx, reverse proxy, 502, 504, etc.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DevOpsIntermediate
7/28/2026
Claude CodeCursorWindsurfCopilotCodex
#nginx#reverse-proxy#tls#troubleshooting#rate-limiting

Recommended for

Automated summary

Configures and troubleshoots Nginx for reverse proxy, TLS, caching, compression, rate limiting, and load balancing.

Strengths

  • Maps HTTP status codes (502, 504, 413, 499, TLS failures) to likely causes and concrete checks.
  • Enforces `nginx -t` before every reload and asks for confirmation before sensitive changes.
  • Covers common reverse-proxy and TLS pitfalls such as missing `X-Forwarded-Proto`, misplaced `client_max_body_size`, incomplete certificate chains, and real client IPs behind proxies.
  • Explains how to use `nginx -T` to inspect the effective configuration with all includes resolved.

Limitations

  • Will not reload or edit configuration without explicit confirmation and a passing `nginx -t`.
  • Does not issue or renew certificates; it only provides the procedure.
  • Declines changes that would broaden the service's exposure.
When to use it

Use it to design, fix, or diagnose an Nginx configuration, especially for reverse proxy or TLS setups.

When not to use it

Avoid it for certificate issuance or renewal, or for general system administration outside Nginx.

Security analysis

Caution
Quality score88/100

The skill uses powerful system tools for legitimate nginx configuration and diagnosis. It explicitly mandates nginx -t before any reload and requires confirmation for reload and config edits, reducing risk. No destructive or exfiltrating actions are present. The use of service-control commands warrants caution.

Findings
  • •Instructs nginx -s reload, a service-affecting command; mitigation (nginx -t first and user confirmation) is specified, but still requires care.
  • •Uses system commands (nginx -t, nginx -T, openssl s_client) without declaring allowed-tools, which may lead to ambiguous execution permissions or unexpected tool prompts.
How this analysis is made

Examples

Diagnose a 502 after deploy
My app behind Nginx returns 502 Bad Gateway after a deploy. Check the upstream config and tell me what to verify before reloading.
Set up a TLS reverse proxy
Set up an Nginx reverse proxy for app.example.com with TLS 1.2/1.3, HTTP/2, and the correct X-Forwarded-Proto headers.
Fix a persistent 413 upload error
I configured client_max_body_size in a location block but uploads still fail with 413. Show the effective Nginx config and fix it.

name: nginx-expert description: > Configuração e diagnóstico de Nginx — reverse proxy, TLS, HTTP/2, HTTP/3, cache, compressão, rate limit e load balancing. Use quando o usuário disser "nginx", "reverse proxy", "502", "504", "certificado", "SSL", "TLS", "rate limit", "cache", "upstream". metadata: { version: 1.0.0 }

Nginx Expert

Você configura a porta de entrada. Um erro aqui derruba tudo que está atrás.

Portão de segurança

nginx -t e leitura de config rodam livres. nginx -s reload e edição de config exigem confirmação.

Sempre nginx -t antes de qualquer reload. Reload com config inválida derruba o serviço inteiro. Não há exceção a esta regra.

Diagnóstico por código

| Código | Causa provável | Verificar | |---|---|---| | 502 | upstream morto ou recusando | app viva? porta certa? SG? | | 504 | upstream lento demais | proxy_read_timeout vs. tempo real da app | | 413 | corpo maior que o limite | client_max_body_size | | 499 | cliente desistiu antes | app lenta — o problema é upstream | | 404 inesperado | root/alias ou ordem de location | nginx -T mostra a config efetiva | | TLS falha | cadeia incompleta, certificado expirado | openssl s_client -connect host:443 |

nginx -T (maiúsculo) despeja a configuração efetiva, com todos os includes resolvidos. É o comando que resolve "mas eu configurei isso".

Reverse proxy — base

location / {
    proxy_pass http://backend;
    proxy_http_version 1.1;
    proxy_set_header Host              $host;
    proxy_set_header X-Real-IP         $remote_addr;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For   $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;   # sem isto, app gera URL http
    proxy_read_timeout 60s;
}

Esquecer X-Forwarded-Proto atrás de ALB é a causa clássica de loop de redirecionamento e link http em página https.

Rate limit

limit_req_zone $binary_remote_addr zone=api:10m rate=10r/s;
location /api/ { limit_req zone=api burst=20 nodelay; }

Atrás de proxy, $binary_remote_addr é o IP do proxy — configure real_ip_header antes, ou você limita o proxy inteiro.

TLS

  • TLS 1.2 e 1.3 apenas
  • ssl_certificate com a cadeia completa (fullchain), não só o certificado
  • HSTS depois de confirmar que todo o tráfego é https
  • OCSP stapling quando disponível

Anti-padrões

  • Reload sem nginx -t
  • client_max_body_size só no location quando o erro vem do server
  • Log de acesso desligado em produção
  • Cadeia incompleta — funciona no navegador, falha em cliente de API

Limites

  • Não faz reload sem nginx -t passar e sem confirmação
  • Não emite nem renova certificado — entrega o procedimento
  • Não altera regra que amplie exposição

Skills relacionadas

linux-sysadmin · laravel-platform · devsecops · performance-engineer

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1. Download the file

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Claude Code
test -f '.skill-downloads/nginx-expert-ms47vr7g/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/nginx-expert-ms47vr7g/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/nginx-expert' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/nginx-expert-ms47vr7g' '.claude/skills/nginx-expert'

Cursor
test -f '.skill-downloads/nginx-expert-ms47vr7g/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/nginx-expert-ms47vr7g/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.cursor/skills' && test ! -e '.cursor/skills/nginx-expert' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/nginx-expert-ms47vr7g' '.cursor/skills/nginx-expert'

Codex
test -f '.skill-downloads/nginx-expert-ms47vr7g/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/nginx-expert-ms47vr7g/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.agents/skills' && test ! -e '.agents/skills/nginx-expert' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/nginx-expert-ms47vr7g' '.agents/skills/nginx-expert'

OpenSkills

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Official OpenSkills installation
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For an agent that reads AGENTS.md, then sync the index. This command changes AGENTS.md: review the diff before using it.

openskills sync

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