# Shared nginx configuration for multiple servers **URL:** \ **Category:** NGINX\ **Created:** [April 6, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/shared-nginx-configuration-for-multiple-servers/205411 "2011-04-06T01:01:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dubstep](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@dubstep](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dubstep)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/shared-nginx-configuration-for-multiple-servers/205411/1 "2011-04-06T01:01:13Z")
We have bunch of servers, where we want to share configuration via SVN or GIT (or whatever). So on all server there will be the same configuration files set - this is easy to maintain. Although the most of the configuration is the same on all servers, there is a small set of differences for certain servers. I would like to separate this per-server configuration differences into files called $hostname.conf in the conf.d directory. However this is not working for me: ``` include /etc/nginx/conf.d/$hostname.conf; ``` Is this supposed to work, or not? If not, what is prefered way to achieve my goal? Thanks Ondrej – Ondrej JOMBIK Platon Technologies Ltd., Hlavna 3, Sala SK-92701 +421 903 PLATON - removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid - [http://platon.org](http://platon.org) ---
**Author:** ![Ondrej\_Jombik](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/a698b9/32.png) [@Ondrej\_Jombik](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Ondrej_Jombik)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/shared-nginx-configuration-for-multiple-servers/205411/2 "2011-04-06T17:57:58Z")
Hello, I’m no expert but from what I can see in the code (ngx\_conf\_file.c), the argument to include directive is not “evaluated”. So, I would say the behavior you are seeing is “as expected” although probably not the one you would like… May be you can confirm by enabling debug on your install. In the logs you should see a line like "include ". Good luck. Antoine. ---
**Author:** ![Ondrej\_Jombik](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/a698b9/32.png) [@Ondrej\_Jombik](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Ondrej_Jombik)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/shared-nginx-configuration-for-multiple-servers/205411/3 "2011-04-06T18:51:43Z")
Yes, I can confirm this, it is not evaluated. So probably I need to do: ``` if ($hostname eq 'servername1') { include /etc/nginx/conf.d/servername1.conf; } ``` But I read on MANY places that using if() is evil. Now I do not know what to do. Can some expert suggest a prefered way? Thanks Ondrej ---
**Author:** ![Ondrej\_Jombik](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/a698b9/32.png) [@Ondrej\_Jombik](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Ondrej_Jombik)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/shared-nginx-configuration-for-multiple-servers/205411/4 "2011-04-06T18:54:48Z")
include isn’t supported inside of “if” either, I believe. I wanted to do conditional includes before - but ran into a wall. Someone I believe replied to me off list and said they were trying to add support for that though. (I think it might be how the configuration parser works. $hostname is unknown when the server starts up, and it includes all the includes at the time of start?) I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Ondrej\_Jombik](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/a698b9/32.png) [@Ondrej\_Jombik](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Ondrej_Jombik)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/shared-nginx-configuration-for-multiple-servers/205411/5 "2011-04-06T19:10:51Z")
I see no technical problems with this. Variable $hostname is known when the server starts, because with $hostname I mean the name of server where nginx is running (see gethostname(2) call), not the name of virtual host (which is unknown on the server start, indeed) If include is not supported inside if(), I’m pretty sure we are lost. I see no other way how to accomplish this. Maybe Igor, who knows every byte of code knows:-) I think this requirement is a desirable feature. I know guys who maintain hundreds or thousands of nginx servers. Currently they are copying configuration files back and forth, but if they were able to make some per-server configuration alternations based on the same configuration files set, they would be able to put whole nginx configuration into SVN and do just “svn update” on certain webservers. Then every webserver will load its specific configuration (in fact main configuration with some small per-server differences). Anyway, thank you for your reply. Ondrej ---
**Author:** ![Ondrej\_Jombik](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/a698b9/32.png) [@Ondrej\_Jombik](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Ondrej_Jombik)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/shared-nginx-configuration-for-multiple-servers/205411/6 "2011-05-02T21:05:19Z")
I’m facing a related issue, although my attempt at implementation is different from the OP. ip.conf: set $server\_ip 10.11.1.50; nginx.conf: … server { include ip.conf; #adds the $server\_ip variable which is machine-specific listen $server\_ip:80 default\_server; … } This fails with: nginx: [emerg] host not found in “$server\_ip:80” of the “listen” directive in /opt/nginx/conf/nginx.conf:48 What is the best way to include a hard-coded IP address from another file in order to allow nginx.conf to be universal across deployed machines? Cheers, Dean Posted at Nginx Forum: > **[Re: Shared nginx configuration for multiple servers](https://forum.nginx.org/read.php?2,188621,195032#msg-195032)** > > We have bunch of servers, where we want to share configuration via SVN or GIT (or whatever). So on all server there will be the same configuration files set - this is easy to maintain. Although the most of the configuration is the same on all... ---
**Author:** ![Ondrej\_Jombik](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/a698b9/32.png) [@Ondrej\_Jombik](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Ondrej_Jombik)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/shared-nginx-configuration-for-multiple-servers/205411/7 "2011-04-06T20:48:26Z")
> From what I can see, include can go anywhere (which includes the evil > if). The problem is with the directives that are includED. They all > have to be supported inside if, which is unlikely. Now, regarding your main problem, what about using symbolic links to provide the desired functionality. Something like : include /etc/conf/local.nginx.conf with /etc/conf/local.nginx.conf being a symbolic link to the file that is specific for this server. Antoine. – Join me on my nginx cruise : [http://www.nginx-discovery.com](http://www.nginx-discovery.com) ---
**Author:** ![Ondrej\_Jombik](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/a698b9/32.png) [@Ondrej\_Jombik](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Ondrej_Jombik)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/shared-nginx-configuration-for-multiple-servers/205411/8 "2011-05-02T21:26:56Z")
Hello! On Mon, May 02, 2011 at 03:04:48PM -0400, dbanks wrote: > machine-specific > listen $server\_ip:80 default\_server; > … > } > > This fails with: nginx: [emerg] host not found in “$server\_ip:80” of > the “listen” directive in /opt/nginx/conf/nginx.conf:48 > > What is the best way to include a hard-coded IP address from another > file in order to allow nginx.conf to be universal across deployed > machines? Variable are evaluated at runtime during request processing, you can’t use them to configure listening sockets. Either place full listen directive in included file or use some external scripting to produce actual config. Maxim D.