Nginx Proxy Manager

Manage Nginx Proxy Manager (NPM) for reverse proxy and SSL termination to internal services like staging/prod apps. Use when creating/updating proxy hosts, requesting or renewing Let's Encrypt certificates, enforcing HTTPS redirects, setting websocket support, or routing domains/subdomains to target servers.

Nginx Proxy Manager Workflow

Use this skill to terminate SSL at NPM and route traffic to backend services (staging/prod).

Required inputs

• Domain/subdomain (e.g. staging.example.com)
• Public DNS already pointing to NPM public IP
• Upstream target host/IP + port (e.g. 10.10.10.227:3000)
• Whether Cloudflare proxy is enabled (if used)

Authentication (do not hardcode secrets)

Store credentials outside this skill (local secret file or environment variables).

Recommended env vars:

• NPM_BASE_URL (e.g. http://<npm-host>:81)
• NPM_IDENTITY
• NPM_SECRET

Example token request:

bash

curl -sS -X POST "$NPM_BASE_URL/api/tokens" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json; charset=UTF-8' \
  --data "{\"identity\":\"$NPM_IDENTITY\",\"secret\":\"$NPM_SECRET\"}"

Standard setup flow

1. Confirm DNS resolves to NPM public IP.
2. Create or update Proxy Host in NPM:
   • Domain Names: requested host(s)
   • Scheme: http (or https if upstream is TLS)
   • Forward Hostname/IP: upstream IP/hostname
   • Forward Port: app port
   • Enable:
     • Block Common Exploits
     • Websockets Support
3. SSL tab:
   • Request new SSL certificate (Let's Encrypt)
   • Enable Force SSL
   • Enable HTTP/2 Support
   • Enable HSTS only after validation
4. Save and verify:
   • curl -I https://<domain> returns 200/301
   • Browser check for valid certificate and app reachability

Recommended defaults

• Keep upstream as private IP where possible.
• Use separate hostnames per environment:
  • app.example.com → production
  • staging.example.com → staging
• Avoid wildcard certificates unless explicitly needed.

Troubleshooting

• Certificate issuance fails:
  • Check DNS A/AAAA records
  • Ensure ports 80/443 reach NPM
  • Disable conflicting CDN TLS mode or set to Full/Strict appropriately
• 502 Bad Gateway:
  • Verify upstream container/service is running
  • Verify correct target port and local firewall rules
• Redirect loops:
  • Don’t double-force HTTPS (app + proxy misconfiguration)

Publication hygiene checklist

Before sharing/publishing this skill:

• Remove all real IPs, domains, emails, and tokens.
• Keep only placeholders like example.com and <npm-host>.
• Ensure no local credential file paths or secret values are included.

Safety rules

• Never remove existing production proxy hosts unless explicitly requested.
• For changes on production domains, snapshot/export config or document previous values first.
• Apply changes to staging first when possible.