Display domain name instead of IP when using Nginx + Gunicorn + Django

Question

I am building a server on Ubuntu using Nginx + Gunicorn + Django.

I have a domain name registered with godaddy that redirects to the IP of the server. The Nginx configuration looks like this:

    server {
        listen 80 default_server;
        listen [::]:80 default_server;
        server_name mydomainname.com www.mydomainname.com localhost;

        location / {
            proxy_redirect off;
            proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
            proxy_pass http://unix:/path/to/my/socket.sock;
        }
    }

When I type the domain name in the browser, I get correctly redirected to the server. However, the url in the browser now displays the IP instead of the domain name.

How can I make the server display the domain name instead of the IP?

(Godaddy provides an option to do this by using forward masking, but I have been advised not to use this, and the browser complains about cross-origin problems anyway when I try this approach.)

I'm not even sure if I need to change something in Nginx or Gunicorn or Django.

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 16 '18 at 20:12

0

The sample configuration suggests that you also need to pass the Host: header upstream. For example, ripped out of that same configuration:

      proxy_set_header Host $http_host;
      # we don't want nginx trying to do something clever with
      # redirects, we set the Host: header above already.
      proxy_redirect off;

answered Jan 16 '18 at 20:12

Michael Hampton

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I tried it, but doing this did not change the browser's behavior. (to be clear, I added 'proxy_set_header Host $http_host;' to the location block) – Florian Dietz Jan 16 '18 at 22:01
Check your application, then, and make sure it isn't sending a redirect. – Michael Hampton Jan 16 '18 at 22:05
So you are saying Nginx should work the way it is? By application, do you mean Gunicorn or Django? How do I check if it's sending a redirect? – Florian Dietz Jan 16 '18 at 22:21
gunicorn just answers HTTP requests and passes them on to your Django app. There's nothing to look at there. – Michael Hampton Jan 16 '18 at 22:30

Florian Dietz · Accepted Answer · 2018-01-19T14:51:15.270

0

I found the problem, and it had nothing to do with Nginx's configuration. I was looking in the entirely wrong place.

I mistakenly set up a URL forwarding command at the website where I bought my domain name. I should have set up a type 'A' DNS record instead. I didn't know those were two different things and was unlucky enough to find the URL forwarding feature before finding the DNS records.

edited Jan 19 '18 at 14:51

answered Jan 16 '18 at 22:58

Florian Dietz

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Display domain name instead of IP when using Nginx + Gunicorn + Django

2 Answers2