---
title: "Installing and Setting Up NGINX on Windows as an HTTPS Reverse Proxy"
slug: "installing-and-setting-up-nginx-on-windows-as-an-https-reverse-proxy-for-opc"
updated: 2025-05-20T06:59:26Z
published: 2025-05-20T06:59:26Z
canonical: "help.scalefusion.com/installing-and-setting-up-nginx-on-windows-as-an-https-reverse-proxy-for-opc"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.scalefusion.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Installing and Setting Up NGINX on Windows as an HTTPS Reverse Proxy

NGINX, a fast and lightweight web server, can be used on Windows as an HTTPS reverse proxy. This setup is particularly useful for an On-Premise Connector because it allows you to securely expose internal services to the internet.

This guide outlines the steps to configure Nginx on a Windows system to act as an HTTPS reverse proxy for an OPC server. This setup enhances security by enabling encrypted communication between clients and the OPC server.

## How it Works

Nginx handles SSL/TLS encryption, receives incoming HTTPS requests, and forwards them to the On-Premise Connector. It can also modify request headers and buffer responses, improving performance and security. This configuration helps to protect your internal services by hiding their direct IP addresses and managing traffic flow.

## **Prerequisites**

- A Windows server.
- SSL certificates (server certificate and private key).
- OPC server running on `http://127.0.0.1:28767` (or the appropriate address and port).

## Overview

- Step 1: Download Nginx for Windows
- Step 2: Install Nginx as a Windows Service
- Step 3: Copy your SSL Certificates
- Step 4: Configure Nginx as HTTPS Reverse Proxy
- Step 5: Test and Start Nginx
- Step 6: Verify Configuration

## Step 1: Download Nginx for Windows

1. Visit the official Nginx website: [http://nginx.org/en/download.html](http://nginx.org/en/download.html)
2. Under **Stable version**, download the Windows version (typically named "nginx/Windows-x.x.x" where x.x.x is the version number).
3. Extract the zip file to a location of your choice (e.g., `C:\nginx`).

## Step 2: Install Nginx as a Windows Service (Optional but Recommended)

1. Download and install the NSSM (Non-Sucking Service Manager): [https://nssm.cc/download](https://nssm.cc/download)
2. Open a Command Prompt as Administrator.
3. Navigate to the NSSM installation directory.
4. Run: `nssm install nginx`
5. In the NSSM dialog:
  - Set the **Path** to the `nginx.exe` file in your Nginx directory.
  - Set the **Startup Directory** to your Nginx directory.
  - Click **Install service**.

## Step 3: Copy your SSL Certificates

Create `C:\nginx\conf\ssl` folder and copy your SSL certificates (e.g., `server.crt` and `server.key`) into a folder inside the Nginx directory, such as `C:\nginx\conf\ssl`, and update your configuration accordingly.

## Step 4: Configure Nginx as HTTPS Reverse Proxy

1. Open `C:\nginx\conf\nginx.conf` in a text editor.
2. Replace the contents with:

```plaintext
worker_processes  1;

events {
    worker_connections  1024;
}

http {
    include       mime.types;
    default_type  application/octet-stream;
    sendfile      on;
    keepalive_timeout  65;

    # HTTPS server
    server {
        listen       443 ssl;
        server_name  localhost; # Replace with your domain name

        ssl_certificate      ssl/server.crt;
        ssl_certificate_key  ssl/server.key;

        ssl_session_cache    shared:SSL:1m;
        ssl_session_timeout  5m;

        ssl_ciphers  HIGH:!aNULL:!MD5;

        location / {
            proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:28767;
            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;
        }
    }
}
```

## Step 5: Test and Start Nginx

> [!NOTE]
> Kindly open the Command Prompt as an administrator and execute the following commands

1. Test your configuration:

```plaintext
cd C:\nginx
nginx -t
```
2. Start Nginx:

```plaintext
net start nginx
```

## Step 6: Verify Configuration

1. Open a web browser and navigate to `https://<your-domain>`.
2. Ensure that the domain you are using is correctly pointed to the server's IP address.
3. **If DNS records are not available or not updated yet**, you can manually add a hosts entry on your local machine for testing purposes:
  - Open `C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts` in a text editor as Administrator.
  - Add a line like:

```plaintext
127.0.0.1 your-domain.com
```
4. You should see the content served from your upstream server on port `28767`.
5. Since a valid SSL certificate is used, the browser should show a secure connection without any warnings.

## Troubleshooting

- If Nginx fails to start, check the error logs at `C:\nginx\logs\error.log`.
- If the connection to the upstream server fails, verify that it's running on port `28767`.
- For SSL certificate issues, ensure the paths in the configuration match your certificate locations.