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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-06-06T07:07:07+00:00

nginx is a killer static file server. it can serve node.js , as in

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nginx is a killer static file server.

it can serve node.js, as in this example, but in a limited fashion.

but nginx is apparently unable to proxy websockets.

the only thing I found that might work is using HAProxy front end as per this article – but it’s from October 6, 2011.

this has to be a common problem, but I’m not finding a very common solution.

Solution

(see https://github.com/bangkok-maco/barebone-node for complete solution and details)

ip testing schema:

  • 127.0.0.12 – http://www.chat.nit – public, in /etc/hosts and haproxy
  • 127.0.1.12 – internal nginx web server
  • 127.0.2.12 – internal chat serving node.js socket.io

/etc/haproxy/haproxy.cfg:

global
 maxconn 4096
 nbproc 2
 daemon
 # user nobody
 log             127.0.0.1       local1 notice

defaults
 mode http

# listen on 127.0.0.12:80
frontend app
 bind 127.0.0.12:80
 mode tcp
 timeout client 86400000
 default_backend www_backend
 acl is_chat hdr_dom(Host) chat
 acl is_websocket path_beg /socket.io

 use_backend chat_socket_backend if is_websocket is_chat
 tcp-request inspect-delay 500ms
 tcp-request content accept if HTTP

# ngnix on 127.0.1.12:80
backend www_backend
 balance roundrobin
 option forwardfor
 mode http
 option httplog
 option httpclose
 timeout server 30000
 timeout connect 4000
 server w1 127.0.1.12:80 weight 1 maxconn 1024 check

# node (socket.io) on 127.0.2.12:80
backend chat_socket_backend
 balance roundrobin
 mode http
 option httplog
 option forwardfor
 timeout queue 5000
 timeout server 86400000
 timeout connect 86400000
 timeout check 1s
 no option httpclose
 option http-server-close
 option forceclose
 server s14 127.0.2.12:8000 weight 1 maxconn 1024 check

/etc/nginx/sites-enabled/www.chat.nit

server {
    listen   127.0.1.12:80;

    root /data/node/chat;
    index client.html;

    server_name www.chat.nit;

    # favicon.ico is in /images
    location = /favicon.ico$ { rewrite /(.*) /images/$1 last; }

    # standard includes
    location ^~ /(css|images|scripts)/ {
            try_files $uri =404;
    }

    # html page (only in root dir)
    location ~ ^/([-_a-z]+).html$ {
            try_files $uri =404;
    }

    error_page 404 /404.html;

    # redirect server error pages to the static page /50x.html
    #
    error_page 500 502 503 504 /50x.html;
    location = /50x.html {
            root /usr/share/nginx/www;
    }
}

chat (node.js): server.js

var app = require('http').createServer()
   , io = require('socket.io').listen(app);    
app.listen(8000,'127.0.2.12');

io.sockets.on('connection', function(socket) {
  ...
};

chat: client.html

<head>
  <script src="/scripts/socket.io/socket.io.js"></script>
  <script>
    var socket = io.connect('http://www.chat.nit:80'); 
    ...
  </script>
</head>

notes:

  1. link socket.io client js into scripts/ directory

    /…/scripts$ ln -s ../node_modules/socket.io/node_modules/socket.io-client/dist/ socket.io

  2. /etc/default/haproxy (contrary to text, must set to work at all)

    ENABLED=1

  3. this version haproxy not logging. found kvz’s write up on how to use rsyslogd via 127.0.0.1, but could not make it fly.

  4. this solution is working – not sysadmin quality to be sure. (enhancements more than welcome.)

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    Here’s my (old and for testing purposes) HAProxy config for proxying WebSockets and normal HTTP requests.

    global
    maxconn 4096
    nbproc 2
    daemon
    user nobody

defaults
    mode http

frontend app
    bind 0.0.0.0:8000
    mode tcp
    timeout client 86400000
    default_backend www_backend
    acl is_websocket path_beg /sockets

    use_backend socket_backend if is_websocket
    tcp-request inspect-delay 500ms
    tcp-request content accept if HTTP

backend www_backend
    balance roundrobin
    option forwardfor
    mode http
    option httplog
    option httpclose
    timeout server 30000
    timeout connect 4000
    server w1 localhost:8080 weight 1 maxconn 1024 check

backend socket_backend
    balance roundrobin
    mode http
    option httplog
    option forwardfor
    timeout queue 5000
    timeout server 86400000
    timeout connect 86400000
    timeout check 1s
    no option httpclose
    option http-server-close
    option forceclose
    server s1 localhost:8081 weight 1 maxconn 1024 check

    Note that I am recognizing whether request is WS or not by looking at path (acl is_websocket path_beg /sockets line). This can be replaced with for example this:

    acl is_websocket hdr(Upgrade) -i WebSocket

    or this:

    acl is_websocket hdr_beg(Host) -i ws

    or both. Proxying to nginx with this config should work out of the box.

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