To start, stop or restart Nginx, the specific commands depend on the system type and installation method. 1. For modern systems using systemd (such as Ubuntu 16.04, Debian 8, CentOS 7), you can use: sudo systemctl start nginx, sudo systemctl stop nginx, sudo systemctl restart nginx, and use sudo systemctl reload nginx after configuration changes; 2. For old systems using SysVinit, use the service commands: sudo service nginx start, sudo service nginx stop, sudo service nginx restart and sudo service nginx reload; 3. If it is a custom installation or compiled from the source code, you need to directly call the Nginx binary, such as: sudo /usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx start, sudo /usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx -s stop stop, sudo /usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx -s reload configuration. If you are not sure about the service name or path, you can find relevant information through systemctl list-units | grep nginx, which nginx, or find / -name nginx.

Starting, stopping, or restarting Nginx is a common task when managing a web server. The exact command you use depends on how Nginx was installed and what system you're running it on.

Check Your System Type

Before jumping into commands, it's good to know whether your system uses systemd (most modern Linux distributions) or init.d (older systems). You can usually tell by trying one of the commands below and seeing if it responds without error.

How to Start, Stop, or Restart Nginx on systemd Systems

If you're on a system like Ubuntu 16.04 , Debian 8 , or CentOS 7 , it likely uses systemd , which manages services through the systemctl command.

Here are the basic commands:

• To start Nginx:

   sudo systemctl start nginx

• To stop Nginx:

   sudo systemctl stop nginx

• To restart Nginx:

   sudo systemctl restart nginx

You can also reload Nginx without fully restarting it — useful after configuration changes:

 sudo systemctl reload nginx

Note: If you get an error like "Failed to restart nginx.service: Unit nginx.service not found", it might mean Nginx isn't installed correctly or your service name is different (eg, nginx.service vs nginx ). Try checking with systemctl list-units | grep nginx .

For Older Systems Using init.d

On older systems that use SysVinit , you'll typically manage Nginx using the service command.

Here's what you'd run:

• To start Nginx:

   sudo service nginx start

• To stop Nginx:

   sudo service nginx stop

• To restart Nginx:

   sudo service nginx restart

And again, for reloading:

 sudo service nginx reload

These commands assume the Nginx init script is properly set up under /etc/init.d/nginx . If not, you may need to look at manual control via the Nginx binary.

What If Those Don't Work?

Sometimes you're working on a custom setup or compiling from source. In those cases, there won't be a service file — you'll have to manage it directly using the Nginx binary.

Here are some alternative commands you might try:

• Start Nginx manually:

   sudo /usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx

• Stop or restart gracefully:

   sudo /usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx -s stop # Fast shutdown
  sudo /usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx -s reload # Reload config

The exact path will vary depending on where you installed it. You can often find the correct location by looking at your installation notes or checking with:

 which nginx

or

 find / -name nginx 2>/dev/null

So, in short, the most common way is using systemctl for modern systems. But depending on your environment, you might need to use service , or even call the binary directly.

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