“I’m trying to go to a website. Instead getting to the site, I see a page that refers to nginx:
What’s going on?”
The Welcome to nginx! page is the default web page that is presented when a website operator has installed the NGINX web server software on a computer on the Internet, and either the NGINX configuration is not yet complete or a problem at the website itself is preventing the correct content from appearing.
The NGINX web server software is used by millions of websites worldwide. It’s open source and free to use, so anyone can download and install the software and use it to host a website.
The NGINX software has not been installed on your computer – it runs only on computers that are serving web pages. NGINX is not a virus and has nothing to do with determining which websites your browser accesses. Read on for more details.
When you see the Welcome to nginx! page, the mostly likely reason is that there is a configuration or other problem at the website. In this case, about all you can do is wait for the problem to be fixed by the website administrator.
Less often, there might be a problem on your computer that is causing your web browser to go to the wrong website.
It might be a temporary problem, in which case it might help to clear your browser cache and history, then restart your computer and home router if necessary. See What Should I Do?.
It is also possible that your computer has a virus or other malware that is intercepting your web requests and directing you to the wrong website.
For example, some viruses and malware can control how your computer uses a system called DNS. This system translates website names (such as www.google.com) into computer addresses, just like the contacts list on your mobile phone translates people’s names into phone numbers. When you try to access a website, the virus causes your browser to route your request to an impostor website that might try to steal personal information.
Again, the NGINX software has not been installed on your computer – it runs only on computers that are serving web pages. NGINX is not a virus and has nothing to do with determining which websites your browser accesses.
To investigate whether the problem is on your computer, we recommend that you do the following. After each step, test whether the problem is fixed:
If you feel like investigating further, below are some other things for a knowledgeable user to try.
Run a scanner or anti-malware application from a security software company. Users of Windows 8.1 and later can use Windows Defender, which is free antimalware software included with Windows. Windows 7 users can use Microsoft Security Essentials.
ipconfig
/flushdns
, and press Enter.ipconfig
/flushdns
in the new terminal window, and press Enter."This blog post may reference products that are no longer available and/or no longer supported. For the most current information about available F5 NGINX products and solutions, explore our NGINX product family. NGINX is now part of F5. All previous NGINX.com links will redirect to similar NGINX content on F5.com."