Ask Claude to Generate Web Server Configs from Your Application's Route Structure

Web server configs are deceptively complex — one wrong directive and your API returns HTML, your static files 404, or your websockets don't connect. Claude reads your application's actual structure and generates a config that matches.

Read my application's routes, static asset paths, and API endpoints. 
Generate an nginx config that handles reverse proxying to the app server, 
serves static files directly, and adds proper caching headers.

Claude checks your route file, public directory, and framework conventions to produce a config that works on the first try:

# Claude generates framework-aware nginx configs
server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    root /var/www/app/public;

    # Static assets with long cache
    location /assets/ {
        expires 1y;
        add_header Cache-Control "public, immutable";
    }

    # API routes to the app server
    location /api/ {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
    }

    # SPA fallback for client-side routing
    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
    }
}

Target specific server configuration needs:

# Debug a broken config
My nginx returns 502 for API routes but serves static files fine. 
Read my current nginx.conf and the app's route structure — 
what's misconfigured?

# Add WebSocket support
The app uses WebSockets for real-time features. Update the nginx 
config to properly proxy WebSocket connections.

# Set up SSL with Let's Encrypt
Generate a complete nginx config with SSL using certbot paths. 
Include proper security headers and redirect HTTP to HTTPS.

# Multi-app hosting
I have three apps on this server — a React frontend, a Node API, 
and an admin panel. Generate an nginx config that routes to each 
based on subdomain.

After generating, ask Claude to validate the config:

Check this nginx config for common mistakes — missing semicolons, 
conflicting location blocks, missing proxy headers, and security 
headers that should be present.

Web server configs are infrastructure-as-code that nobody tests — let Claude generate them from your actual app structure so the routing matches reality.

via Claude Code