Webserver Configuration

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If you intend to use SSL configuration, you MUST create SSL certificates for your webserver to start. This guide will NOT cover that step; instead, we will use the NPM reverse network proxy.

To create SSL certificates without NPM, refer to this official Pterodactyl guide (opens in a new tab).

Introduction

Setting up a web server to host applications such as the Pterodactyl Panel requires meticulous configuration for optimal performance and security. This guide will walk you through configuring NGINX, a robust web server, to effectively serve your Pterodactyl instance. By following these steps, you'll set up a virtual host, fine-tune server settings, and prepare your environment to host game servers and other applications seamlessly. Let's get started!

For more detailed information and official documentation, you can visit the Pterodactyl documentation (opens in a new tab).

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

Completed Installing Pterodactyl Panel.
Setup a reverse network proxy NPM Guide.

Step-by-Step Guide

Remove the Default NGINX Config

We will not be using this file. However, if you have never used NGINX and would like to familiarize yourself, open the file first and read through the comments.

rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default

Create a Virtual Host

Create a new file in the same location as the previous default NGINX config file.

The official Pterodactyl docs recommend naming the file pterodactyl.conf, but you may call it whatever you wish. The file name should reflect its contents.

# Not on CentOS
nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/pterodactyl.conf

# On CentOS
nano /etc/nginx/conf.d/pterodactyl.conf

Copy and paste the following server block into the newly created file.

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Ensure you copy the contents in their entirety to avoid issues later.

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Replace the example <domain> with your domain name or IP address

server {
    # Replace the example <domain> with your domain name or IP address
    listen 80;
    server_name <domain>;
 
 
    root /var/www/pterodactyl/public;
    index index.html index.htm index.php;
    charset utf-8;
 
    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }
 
    location = /favicon.ico { access_log off; log_not_found off; }
    location = /robots.txt  { access_log off; log_not_found off; }
 
    access_log off;
    error_log  /var/log/nginx/pterodactyl.app-error.log error;
 
    # allow larger file uploads and longer script runtimes
    client_max_body_size 100m;
    client_body_timeout 120s;
 
    sendfile off;
 
    location ~ \.php$ {
        fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.1-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_index index.php;
        include fastcgi_params;
        fastcgi_param PHP_VALUE "upload_max_filesize = 100M \n post_max_size=100M";
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        fastcgi_param HTTP_PROXY "";
        fastcgi_intercept_errors off;
        fastcgi_buffer_size 16k;
        fastcgi_buffers 4 16k;
        fastcgi_connect_timeout 300;
        fastcgi_send_timeout 300;
        fastcgi_read_timeout 300;
    }
 
    location ~ /\.ht {
        deny all;
    }
}

Enabling Configuration

Enable your new NGINX config and restart the service.

You do not need to symlink this file if you are using CentOS.

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/pterodactyl.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/pterodactyl.conf

NOTE: To double-check whether you have correctly copied the server block, use this command before restarting the NGINX service: nginx -t

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You need to restart NGINX regardless of OS.

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Conclusion

Well done! You have successfully completed the webserver configuration part of setting up the Pterodactyl Panel. The next step is to install and configure the Wings for the Panel.

Happy Hosting!

Panel Installation Wings Installation