Reverse Proxy on Windows Azure using Nginx

A reverse proxy is a way to expose an internal webserver to the outside world without actually. I do a lot of web development or run test webservers which use a hostname of “localhost” or “127.0.0.1”. Sites and services using those hostnames are not accessible from other computers on the network. Sometimes, I need to run something locally but share it publicly. For example, I may need to demo or test a product on another computer. This article documents how to setup a reverse proxy on Windows Azure using Nginx.

I’m using the following for this example:

• Azure virtual machine running Windows Server
• Nginx for Windows (download)
• A website running locally
  • I use the following example: http://127.0.0.1:11235

Step 1 : Open the port in Azure Portal

• Log in to your Azure portal and select your virtual machine
• Create a new stand-alone endpoint
  • Endpoints -> Add
• For this example we’re not using a cluster of servers, so leave it as a stand-alone endpoint.

• Next, add your endpoint details
  • Name
    • Use some easy to remember name
  • Protocol
    • Leave this as TCP
  • Public Port
    • The external port you’ll connect to
      • e.g. http://<Your VM Name>.cloudapp.net:<External Port>
  • Private Port
    • For most cases, this will be same as the public port

Step 2: Setup Nginx

• Copy the Nginx zip file to the VM (download)
• Unzip the file
• Go to the “conf” folder
• Create a new file named “proxy.conf” with the following content:

  • proxy_redirect          off;
    #proxy_set_header        Host            $host;
    proxy_set_header        X-Real-IP       $remote_addr;
    proxy_set_header        X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    client_max_body_size    10m;
    client_body_buffer_size 128k;
    proxy_connect_timeout   90;
    proxy_send_timeout      90;
    proxy_read_timeout      90;
    proxy_buffers           32 4k;

    • You may or may not need line #2 from above. Some internal servers will choke if you pass the host header around.
• Update the nginx.conf  with the following
  • server {
    listen       81;
    server_name  <You VM Name>.cloudapp.net localhost;location / {
    proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:11235/;
    include proxy.conf;
    }}
    • This instructs Nginx to listen on port 81 and serve up content from 127.0.0.1:11235

Step 3: Start and test the proxy

• Run nginx.exe from the command-line
• Open a browser and navigate to http:<You VM Name>.cloudapp.net:<External Port>
• You should see your local content published but with the new hostname and port
• Check the Nginx logs if you have any errors.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions or need help.