1.4 Build from Source

This is a historical learning note and may contain outdated or incomplete understanding.

1. Build Steps

1.1. Download

Nginx: nginx download

Nginx now distinguishes mainline and stable branches. Do not use the old “even version = stable, odd version = development” rule; follow the current release information on nginx.org.

Other source dependencies

mkdir src
cd src

# Dependency versions change over time. Use currently supported releases
# from their official projects. Common dependencies include PCRE2, zlib,
# and OpenSSL.
#
# If Lua support is the goal, OpenResty is usually easier to maintain than
# manually combining old LuaJIT/lua-nginx-module releases.

1.2. Install the Development Environment

On a current Debian/Ubuntu-like system, a minimal example is:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y build-essential libpcre2-dev zlib1g-dev libssl-dev

Install additional development libraries only for modules you actually enable.

1.3. Configure, Build, and Install

A representative source build:

./configure --prefix="$HOME/software/nginx" \
            --with-threads \
            --with-file-aio \
            --with-http_ssl_module \
            --with-http_v2_module \
            --with-http_realip_module \
            --with-http_gzip_static_module \
            --with-http_auth_request_module \
            --with-http_secure_link_module \
            --with-http_stub_status_module \
            --with-stream \
            --with-stream_ssl_module \
            --with-debug

make -j"$(nproc)"
make install

The original note enabled many optional/dynamic modules. Keep only the modules required by the actual deployment so the build is easier to maintain.

1.4. Start

$HOME/software/nginx/sbin/nginx -c $HOME/software/nginx/conf/nginx.conf

2. View the Parameters Used for the Build

nginx -V

3. Directory Layout

The exact layout depends on the ./configure paths selected during the build.