Only to one directory on an internal server

the Nginx configuration and explanation for allowing external access only to the /report directory on an internal server, while blocking access to other directories:

Configuration Example

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-domain.com;

    # Allow access only to the /report directory
    location /report {
        proxy_pass http://192.168.1.1;  # Replace with the actual internal server address
        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;

        # Optional: Handle path rewriting if needed
        rewrite ^/report(/.*)?$ $1 break;
    }

    # Deny access to other paths
    location / {
        deny all;
    }

    # Handle other path requests if necessary
    # You can add additional location blocks for specific path requests
}

Explanation

1. Allowing Access to /report:

• The location /report block forwards requests to the internal server http://192.168.1.1.
• The rewrite directive (optional) handles path rewriting to ensure that the /report prefix is not added to the internal server’s request path.

1. Denying Access to Other Paths:

• The location / block with the deny all; directive blocks access to all other paths. This means that external users will receive a 403 Forbidden error when trying to access other paths.

Considerations

• Access Control:
  If your Nginx server is exposed to the public internet and needs to control access to multiple directories or services, make sure to implement appropriate security measures, such as IP whitelisting and authentication mechanisms.
• Logging:
  You can configure Nginx’s access and error logs to monitor and troubleshoot access issues. Log configuration is typically done within the server block.
• SSL/TLS:
  If your site is exposed on the public internet, it’s recommended to use SSL/TLS to encrypt traffic and protect data transmission.
• Nginx Configuration Testing:
  Before applying any changes, run nginx -t to test the syntax of the configuration file. Make sure there are no errors before reloading the Nginx configuration.

With this configuration, external users will only be able to access the /report directory, while access to other paths will be blocked.