Nginx Prevent Download !exclusive! May 2026

: Allows requests where the Referer header is present but deleted by a firewall. server_names : Allows your own domain. 5. Disabling Directory Indexing

Preventing file downloads in Nginx is a critical security step for protecting sensitive directories, configuration files, and proprietary assets. Whether you need to stop users from downloading source code or restrict access to premium content, Nginx provides several robust directives to control file access. 1. Blocking Specific File Types

location ~* \.(env|sql|bak|log|inc|git)$ deny all; return 403; Use code with caution. : Performs a case-insensitive regex match. deny all : Blocks all requests to these files. nginx prevent download

location /protected_files/ internal; root /var/www/data; Use code with caution.

If a directory doesn't have an index.html file, Nginx might attempt to list all files in that folder, making them easy to download. Ensure autoindex is turned off (it is off by default, but may be enabled in some configurations). location /downloads/ autoindex off; Use code with caution. Summary of Directives Key Directive Configuration files, source code deny all; Internal Only Authorized downloads (via app logic) internal; Referer Check Preventing hotlinking from other sites valid_referers Autoindex Off Hiding file lists in folders autoindex off; : Allows requests where the Referer header is

location ~* \.(jpg|jpeg|png|gif|pdf|zip)$ valid_referers none blocked server_names *.yourdomain.com; if ($invalid_referer) return 403; Use code with caution.

After modifying your configuration, always verify the syntax with nginx -t and reload the service using sudo systemctl reload nginx to apply changes safely. nginx deny directory and files to be downloaded Blocking Specific File Types location ~* \

To deny specific file types using Nginx, you can use the following configuration: * **location ~* \.(git|rb|inc|ht)$ deny all; Server Fault How can I protect files on my NGiNX server?

The most common use case is preventing the download of sensitive file types like .env , .sql , or .inc files. You can use a regex-based location block to deny access to these extensions globally within your server block.