Web server

Choose apache2 or nginx as a web server for serving an application.

Select web server for a project

Let’s review the usual workflow of booting a project.

cikit init --project=webserver
cd webserver
vagrant up

On the provisioning step you’ll be prompted to choose a web server:

The apache2 is preselected by default since it was in CIKit from the beginning. Just hit enter to continue or type nginx.

When VM creation will be finished the time to create a CI droplet is come.

cikit matrix/droplet --limit=HOSTNAME --droplet-add
cikit provision --limit=HOSTNAME.DROPLET

That way you’re getting chosen web server on CI droplet automatically.

Change web server on demand

Warning! A project, VM for which was created to serve an application using one of web servers, cannot be hosted on CI droplet that was provisioned for another web server.

You can discard the idea of using chosen web server in favor of another one. Do so for existing VM:

CIKIT_TAGS="web-server" vagrant provision

Type the name when being prompted and go. Remember, that right after the action is done a web server inside of VM will be changed and this won’t affect a droplet where a project is hosted. If it’s okay to have different web servers locally and on a droplet - do nothing, otherwise remove a project from an existing droplet and add it to the one with an appropriate web server or create a new droplet and provision it from scratch.

Modify project virtual hosts

Open the /path/to/project/.cikit/vars/web-server.yml and modify it as needed.

Override virtual hosts template

CIKit is distributed with general templates for creating virtual hosts for every supported web server and gives projects the possibility to overwrite them.

Apache 2

Copy the default vhosts.conf.j2 to the /path/to/project/.cikit/templates/apache2, modify it by desire and run the provisioning.

Nginx

Copy the default vhosts.conf.j2 to the /path/to/project/.cikit/templates/nginx, modify it by desire and run the provisioning.

Technical details

There is a difference for operability in VM and on CI droplet: nginx is not needed in VM unless was chosen, as well as apache2 is unneeded on CI droplet unless was chosen.

Apache 2

• Opening an application locally a request goes to VM thru VPN and handled by apache2 with libapache2-mod-php.
• A request to CI droplet goes thru internet, handled by nginx that proxies it to apache2 with libapache2-mod-php.

Why can’t we exclude nginx from a chain on CI droplet in a case if apache2 is chosen? Well, nginx is not only proxying a request to apache2 but serves the other tools like Jenkins, Solr and provides the general basic HTTP authentication for services and builds.

Nginx

• Opening an application locally a request goes to VM thru VPN and handled by nginx that pass it to php-fpm FastCGI.
• A request to CI droplet goes thru internet, handled by nginx that pass it to php-fpm FastCGI.