Step-by-Step guide to setup an init script for nginx service start/stop

This guide will show you how to setup an init script for nginx service start/stop. If you have installed Nginx using YUM, by default init scripts would be installed. This tutorial in particular shows you to configure an init script for Nginx source installation. I hope you have installed Nginx with these compile time options, preferably, “–sbin-path”, “–conf-path” set as shown in the below compilation options :

./configure --prefix=/etc/nginx --sbin-path=/usr/sbin/nginx --conf-path=/etc/nginx/nginx.conf --error-log-path=/var/log/nginx/error.log --http-log-path=/var/log/nginx/access.log --pid-path=/var/run/nginx.pid --lock-path=/var/run/nginx.lock --http-client-body-temp-path=/var/cache/nginx/client_temp --http-proxy-temp-path=/var/cache/nginx/proxy_temp --http-fastcgi-temp-path=/var/cache/nginx/fastcgi_temp --http-uwsgi-temp-path=/var/cache/nginx/uwsgi_temp --http-scgi-temp-path=/var/cache/nginx/scgi_temp --user=nginx --group=nginx --with-http_ssl_module --with-http_realip_module --with-http_addition_module --with-http_sub_module --with-http_dav_module --with-http_flv_module --with-http_mp4_module --with-http_gunzip_module --with-http_gzip_static_module --with-http_random_index_module --with-http_secure_link_module --with-http_stub_status_module --with-mail --with-mail_ssl_module --with-ipv6 --with-cc-opt='-O2 -g -pipe -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -m64 -mtune=generic'  --with-pcre

Once Nginx is installed successfully, with your favorite editor create the file in the location – /etc/sysconfig/nginx with the below lines of code :

# Configuration file for the nginx service.
NGINX=/usr/sbin/nginx
CONFFILE=/etc/nginx/nginx.conf

If you have installed in any other location, you can specify it appropriately in the above file.

Copy the below lines of code to the file – /etc/init.d/nginx. Specify the corresponding location of config, sbin nginx file.

#!/bin/sh
#
# nginx        Startup script for nginx
#
# chkconfig: - 85 15
# processname: nginx
# config: /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
# config: /etc/sysconfig/nginx
# pidfile: /var/run/nginx.pid
# description: nginx is an HTTP and reverse proxy server
#
### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides: nginx
# Required-Start: $local_fs $remote_fs $network
# Required-Stop: $local_fs $remote_fs $network
# Default-Start: 2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop: 0 1 6
# Short-Description: start and stop nginx
### END INIT INFO

# Source function library.
. /etc/rc.d/init.d/functions

if [ -f /etc/sysconfig/nginx ]; then
    . /etc/sysconfig/nginx
fi

prog=nginx
nginx=${NGINX-/usr/sbin/nginx}
conffile=${CONFFILE-/etc/nginx/nginx.conf}
lockfile=${LOCKFILE-/var/lock/subsys/nginx}
pidfile=${PIDFILE-/var/run/nginx.pid}
SLEEPMSEC=100000
RETVAL=0

start() {
    echo -n $"Starting $prog: "

    daemon --pidfile=${pidfile} ${nginx} -c ${conffile}
    RETVAL=$?
    echo
    [ $RETVAL = 0 ] && touch ${lockfile}
    return $RETVAL
}

stop() {
    echo -n $"Stopping $prog: "
    killproc -p ${pidfile} ${prog}
    RETVAL=$?
    echo
    [ $RETVAL = 0 ] && rm -f ${lockfile} ${pidfile}
}

reload() {
    echo -n $"Reloading $prog: "
    killproc -p ${pidfile} ${prog} -HUP
    RETVAL=$?
    echo
}

upgrade() {
    oldbinpidfile=${pidfile}.oldbin

    configtest -q || return 6
    echo -n $"Staring new master $prog: "
    killproc -p ${pidfile} ${prog} -USR2
    RETVAL=$?
    echo
    /bin/usleep $SLEEPMSEC
    if [ -f ${oldbinpidfile} -a -f ${pidfile} ]; then
        echo -n $"Graceful shutdown of old $prog: "
        killproc -p ${oldbinpidfile} ${prog} -QUIT
        RETVAL=$?
        echo
    else
        echo $"Upgrade failed!"
        return 1
    fi
}

configtest() {
    if [ "$#" -ne 0 ] ; then
        case "$1" in
            -q)
                FLAG=$1
                ;;
            *)
                ;;
        esac
        shift
    fi
    ${nginx} -t -c ${conffile} $FLAG
    RETVAL=$?
    return $RETVAL
}

rh_status() {
    status -p ${pidfile} ${nginx}
}

# See how we were called.
case "$1" in
    start)
        rh_status >/dev/null 2>&1 && exit 0
        start
        ;;
    stop)
        stop
        ;;
    status)
        rh_status
        RETVAL=$?
        ;;
    restart)
        configtest -q || exit $RETVAL
        stop
        start
        ;;
    upgrade)
        upgrade
        ;;
    condrestart|try-restart)
        if rh_status >/dev/null 2>&1; then
            stop
            start
        fi
        ;;
    force-reload|reload)
        reload
        ;;
    configtest)
        configtest
        ;;
    *)
        echo $"Usage: $prog {start|stop|restart|condrestart|try-restart|force-reload|upgrade|reload|status|help|configtest}"
        RETVAL=2
esac

exit $RETVAL

Change the file permissions as shown below with root owned:

chmod 755 /etc/init.d/nginx
chown root:root /etc/init.d/nginx

Now start the Nginx service as shown below :

/etc/init.d/nginx start

The usage options are as follows :

Usage: nginx {start|stop|restart|condrestart|try-restart|force-reload|upgrade|reload|status|help|configtest}

To make the Nginx service starts with the system boot, run the below command :

chkconfig --add nginx
chkconfig --list | grep nginx
nginx           0:off   1:off   2:on    3:on    4:on    5:on    6:off