LimeSurvey nginx example configuration

Nginx configuration example for LimeSurvey

Below is an example configuration for running LimeSurvey with nginx and PHP-FPM. Adjust paths, domain names, and PHP-FPM socket/port settings to match your server setup.

Note: This is a basic example. Always review and adapt it to your own security requirements before using it in production.

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name survey.example.com;
    # Redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS
    return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name survey.example.com;

root /var/www/limesurvey;
    index index.php;

# SSL certificates
    ssl_certificate     /etc/ssl/certs/survey.example.com.crt;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/ssl/private/survey.example.com.key;

# Recommended SSL settings
    ssl_protocols TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3;
    ssl_prefer_server_ciphers on;

client_max_body_size 100M;

access_log /var/log/nginx/limesurvey_access.log;
    error_log  /var/log/nginx/limesurvey_error.log;

location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
    }

location ~ \.php$ {
        include fastcgi_params;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.1-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_index index.php;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
    }

# Deny access to hidden files and sensitive directories
    location ~ /\.(?!well-known).* {
        deny all;
    }

location ~* /(application|protected|modules|framework|db|application/config)/ {
        deny all;
    }

location ~* \.(log|sql|htaccess)$ {
        deny all;
    }

# Allow LimeSurvey to serve uploaded files and assets
    location /upload/ {
        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
    }

location /tmp/ {
        deny all;
    }
}

Explanation of key directives

• fastcgi_pass: Points to the PHP-FPM socket or TCP address handling PHP requests. Update this to match your PHP-FPM pool configuration.
• try_files: Ensures URLs are routed correctly through LimeSurvey's front controller (index.php).
• client_max_body_size: Increases the maximum upload size, useful for surveys with file-upload questions.
• Deny rules: Block direct web access to configuration files, logs, and application directories that should never be publicly reachable.