To configure NGINX as a secure load balancer for WebSocket (
wss://) connections, use an HTTP upgrade map, increase connection timeouts, and configure SSL termination. [1, 2]Complete NGINX Configuration Example
Add this configuration inside your
nginx.conf or site configuration file:nginx
http {
# Map dynamic connection upgrade headers
map $http_upgrade $connection_upgrade {
default upgrade;
'' close;
}
upstream websocket_backend {
ip_hash; # Ensures sticky sessions for client connections
server ://example.com;
server ://example.com;
}
server {
listen 443 ssl;
server_name yourdomain.com;
# SSL/TLS Certificates for WSS termination
ssl_certificate /path/to/fullchain.pem;
ssl_certificate_key /path/to/privkey.pem;
location / {
proxy_pass http://websocket_backend;
# Required for WebSocket handshake
proxy_http_version 1.1;
proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
proxy_set_header Connection $connection_upgrade;
# Standard proxy headers
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
# Prevent idle timeouts from dropping long-lived connections (set to 24 hours)
proxy_read_timeout 86400s;
proxy_send_timeout 86400s;
# Disable buffering for real-time data streaming
proxy_buffering off;
}
}
# Optional: Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
server {
listen 80;
server_name yourdomain.com;
return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}
}
