How to set up Nginx for WordPress permalinks and statistics

This guide needs root access. Root is the all-powerful admin account on a VPS or dedicated server. If you are on shared hosting, you cannot do this. Ask Hostvento support instead.

What are Nginx and permalinks?

Nginx (say "engine-x") is a web server program. It receives requests from visitors and sends back your pages. A permalink is the permanent address of a post. A pretty permalink looks like example.com/my-first-post/. An ugly one looks like example.com/?p=123.

Apache reads a file called .htaccess for pretty links. Nginx does not read that file. So you must tell Nginx yourself. If you do not, posts show "404 Not Found".

Warning: a mistake in an Nginx file can take every site on the server offline. Copy the file before you edit it.

Steps: fix permalinks

1. Connect to your server with SSH. SSH is a safe way to type commands on a server.
2. Find your site's config file. It is often in /etc/nginx/conf.d/ or /etc/nginx/sites-available/.
3. Make a copy:

   cp /etc/nginx/conf.d/example.conf /etc/nginx/conf.d/example.conf.bak

   This saves the original under a new name.
4. Open the file in an editor:

   nano /etc/nginx/conf.d/example.conf

5. Inside the server block, find or add a location / block, and make it say:

   location / {
       try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
   }

   This tells Nginx: try the real file first, then a folder, then hand the request to WordPress.
6. Save the file. In nano, press Ctrl + O, Enter, then Ctrl + X.
7. Test the config:

   nginx -t

   This checks your file for mistakes without applying it. It must say "syntax is ok".
8. Reload Nginx:

   systemctl reload nginx

   This applies the change without cutting off visitors.
9. In WordPress, go to Settings, then Permalinks. Choose Post name and click Save Changes.

Steps: reach your statistics

Statistics tools such as AWStats make reports from your server logs. If your report folder gives a 404 under WordPress, add a separate location so WordPress does not take over that path. Use your real folder path.

1. Open the same config file.
2. Above the main location / block, add:

   location /stats/ {
       alias /var/www/stats/;
       index index.html;
   }

   This serves the folder /var/www/stats/ at the address /stats/. Use the folder where your tool saves its reports.
3. Run nginx -t again. Then run systemctl reload nginx.
4. Visit yourdomain.com/stats/.

Quick recap

• Nginx ignores .htaccess, so you add try_files yourself.
• Back up the config, edit, run nginx -t, then reload.
• Save permalinks again in WordPress.
• Give your stats folder its own location block.