Creating an Nginx Init Script

If you have installed Nginx using these two method source tarball or RubyGems then you don’t won’t have an init script to start, stop, restart or reload Nginx.

Nginx installation works with signals: you start it by invoking it from the command line, you stop it by sending SIGTERM to it and you gracefully restart it by sending SIGHUP to it. This is described in the section “Using Nginx” in one of the installation guides.

If you have installed Nginx using above two method then use the below init script:

Init Script For CentOS

# cat /etc/init.d/nginx
#!/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=${LOCKFILE-/var/lock/subsys/nginx}
lockfile=${LOCKFILE-/var/run/nginx.lock}
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

Now set the executable permission on above init script and add it to the default run levels:

# chmod +x /etc/init.d/nginx
# /usr/sbin/update-rc.d -f nginx defaults

Init Script For Ubuntu

# cat /etc/init.d/nginx
#! /bin/sh

### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides:          nginx
# Required-Start:    $all
# Required-Stop:     $all
# Default-Start:     2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop:      0 1 6
# Short-Description: starts the nginx web server
# Description:       starts nginx using start-stop-daemon
### END INIT INFO

PATH=/opt/nginx/sbin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin
DAEMON=/opt/nginx/sbin/nginx
NAME=nginx
DESC=nginx

test -x $DAEMON || exit 0

# Include nginx defaults if available
if [ -f /etc/default/nginx ] ; then
        . /etc/default/nginx
fi

set -e

case "$1" in
  start)
        echo -n "Starting $DESC: "
        start-stop-daemon --start --quiet --pidfile /opt/nginx/logs/$NAME.pid \
                --exec $DAEMON -- $DAEMON_OPTS
        echo "$NAME."
        ;;
  stop)
        echo -n "Stopping $DESC: "
        start-stop-daemon --stop --quiet --pidfile /opt/nginx/logs/$NAME.pid \
                --exec $DAEMON
        echo "$NAME."
        ;;
  restart|force-reload)
        echo -n "Restarting $DESC: "
        start-stop-daemon --stop --quiet --pidfile \
                /opt/nginx/logs/$NAME.pid --exec $DAEMON
        sleep 1
        start-stop-daemon --start --quiet --pidfile \
                /opt/nginx/logs/$NAME.pid --exec $DAEMON -- $DAEMON_OPTS
        echo "$NAME."
        ;;
  reload)
          echo -n "Reloading $DESC configuration: "
          start-stop-daemon --stop --signal HUP --quiet --pidfile     /opt/nginx/logs/$NAME.pid \
              --exec $DAEMON
          echo "$NAME."
          ;;
      *)
            N=/etc/init.d/$NAME
            echo "Usage: $N {start|stop|restart|reload|force-reload}" >&2
            exit 1
            ;;
    esac

    exit 0

Now set the executable permission on above init script and add it to the default run levels:

# chmod +x /etc/init.d/nginx
# /usr/sbin/update-rc.d -f nginx defaults

Start Nginx

# service nginx start	

Note :- Before using above init scripts please make sure that all included path in init script are correct.

Thanks:)