Setting Up a File Server on VPS with Nginx

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This guide provides a detailed walkthrough to set up a web file server using Nginx, h5ai, Aria2, and AriaNG on a Debian-based VPS. Additionally, it explains how to enhance functionality with SSL and local development options.

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Background

Learn to host a file server with h5ai, manage downloads using Aria2, and set up configurations via Nginx on a Debian 9 VPS.

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How to

1. Basic Nginx Configuration

Update the Nginx configuration to host your file server:

1. Open /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default and add:

   server {
       listen xxxx; # Replace xxxx with your desired port
       server_name localhost;
       root /home/bh/share;
   
       location / {
           autoindex on;           # Enable directory listing
           autoindex_exact_size on; # Show file sizes
           autoindex_localtime on; # Show local time for files
       }
   }
   

2. Reload Nginx:

   sudo service nginx reload
   

3. Access the file server at yourdomain.com:xxxx.

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2. Enhance with h5ai

Install h5ai

1. Install PHP:

   sudo apt install php
   

2. Update the Nginx configuration in /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default:

   server {
       listen xxxx;
       server_name localhost;
       root /home/bh/share;
       index index.html /_h5ai/public/index.php;
   
       location ~ \.php$ {
           fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock; # Check your PHP socket path
           include fastcgi_params;
           fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
           fastcgi_param SCRIPT_NAME $fastcgi_script_name;
       }
   }
   

3. Reload Nginx:

   sudo service nginx reload
   

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3. Add Folder Password Protection

Protect specific folders with HTTP authentication:

1. Install apache2-utils:

   sudo apt install apache2-utils
   

2. Create a password file and user:

   htpasswd -c /etc/nginx/passwd your-username
   

3. Update Nginx configuration:

   location /private {
       autoindex on;
       auth_basic "Restricted Access";
       auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/passwd;
   }
   

4. Reload Nginx:

   sudo service nginx reload
   

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4. Integrate Aria2 and AriaNG

Install Aria2

sudo apt install aria2

Configure Aria2

1. Create configuration files:

   mkdir ~/.aria2
   vim ~/.aria2/aria2.conf
   

2. Add the following:

   dir=/home/your-username/aria2/download
   enable-rpc=true
   rpc-listen-all=true
   rpc-listen-port=6800
   rpc-secret=your_rpc_password
   file-allocation=none
   continue=true
   max-concurrent-downloads=10
   

3. Run Aria2:

   aria2c --conf-path="/home/your-username/.aria2/aria2.conf"
   

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Install and Configure AriaNG

1. Download AriaNG.
2. Place files in /home/your-username/aria2/AriaNG.

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Configure Nginx for Aria2

1. Create a new Nginx configuration in /etc/nginx/sites-available/aria.conf:

   server {
       listen 443 ssl;
       server_name your-domain.com;
   
       root /home/your-username/aria2/AriaNG;
   
       location ^~ /jsonrpc {
           proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:6800/jsonrpc;
           proxy_set_header Host $http_host;
           proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
           proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
       }
   
       ssl_certificate /path/to/fullchain.pem; # Adjust paths
       ssl_certificate_key /path/to/privkey.pem;
   }
   

2. Enable the configuration:

   sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/aria.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
   sudo service nginx reload
   

3. Visit the web interface and configure RPC settings in AriaNG.

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5. Set Up SSL with Certbot

1. Install Certbot:

   sudo apt install certbot
   

2. Obtain and configure an SSL certificate:

   sudo certbot --nginx
   

3. Update Nginx configurations to use SSL.

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6. Run Aria2 as a Daemon

1. Create a systemd service:

   sudo vim /etc/systemd/system/aria2.service
   

2. Add:

   [Unit]
   Description=Aria2c download manager
   After=network.target
   
   [Service]
   User=your-username
   ExecStart=/usr/bin/aria2c --conf-path=/home/your-username/.aria2/aria2.conf
   Restart=on-failure
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target
   

3. Enable and start the service:

   sudo systemctl enable aria2.service
   sudo systemctl start aria2.service
   

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7. Local Development Options

1. Use samba or NFS for local file sharing.
2. For SSHFS:

   sshfs user@host:/path/to/share /local/mount/point
   

   Unmount with:

   sudo umount /local/mount/point
   

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By following this guide, you can successfully set up a secure, functional file server, integrate powerful tools like Aria2 and AriaNG, and enable seamless file management both locally and remotely.