SSL + Nginx Setup

Configure Nginx as a production-grade reverse proxy with automated SSL, security headers, and performance tuning. Works with any app, any domain, any VPS provider running Ubuntu/Debian.

When to Use

• User wants SSL/HTTPS on a VPS-hosted application
• User needs Nginx configured as a reverse proxy
• User says "set up SSL", "add HTTPS", "configure Nginx", "secure my domain"
• User has an app running on a port and needs it accessible via a domain with TLS
• User needs to add or fix security headers
• User needs wildcard certificates for subdomains

When NOT to Use

• Managed platforms (Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages) -- they handle SSL automatically
• Cloudflare-proxied domains where SSL terminates at Cloudflare (orange cloud)
• Kubernetes ingress -- use an ingress controller instead
• The user only needs a self-signed cert for local development