configure-reverse-proxy

Configure Reverse Proxy

Set up reverse proxy patterns for routing traffic to backend services using Nginx, Traefik, or ShinyProxy.

When to Use

• Routing multiple services behind a single entry point
• Proxying WebSocket connections (Shiny, Socket.IO, live reload)
• Auto-discovering Docker services with Traefik labels
• Path-based or host-based routing to different backends
• Adding SSL termination to services that don't handle TLS

Inputs

• Required: Backend services to proxy (host:port)
• Required: Routing strategy (path-based, host-based, or both)
• Optional: Proxy tool preference (Nginx, Traefik)
• Optional: Domain name(s) for host-based routing
• Optional: WebSocket endpoints to proxy

Procedure

Step 1: Choose Proxy Tool

Feature	Nginx	Traefik
Configuration	Static files	Docker labels / dynamic
Auto-discovery	No (manual)	Yes (Docker provider)
Let's Encrypt	Via certbot	Built-in ACME
Dashboard	No (3rd party)	Built-in
WebSocket	Manual config	Automatic
Best for	Static config, high traffic	Dynamic Docker environments

Step 2: Nginx — Path-Based Routing

server {
    listen 80;

    location /api/ {
        proxy_pass http://api:8000/;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }

    location /app/ {
        proxy_pass http://webapp:3000/;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }

    location / {
        root /usr/share/nginx/html;
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
    }
}

Note: Trailing / on proxy_pass strips the location prefix. proxy_pass http://api:8000/; with location /api/ forwards /api/users as /users.

Step 3: Nginx — Host-Based Routing

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name api.example.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://api:8000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }
}

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name app.example.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://webapp:3000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }
}