Connection and Session issues (new install)

gotwf

@ben-coyle2

./nodebb start -l

Then paste relevant log error messages, eh?

PitaJ

Does the url value in config.json match the address at which you're accessing your site exactly?

ben.coyle2

@PitaJ Yes, it does match it. Does it affect it that it has an SSL certificate (through Cloudflare)

@gotwf https://pastebin.com/SNvXC8um

gotwf

@ben-coyle2 I would suggest next trying to isolate whether issue is nginx proxy or nodebb app server side. Since your install is listening to port 4567 on all interfaces, what happens if you try to connect to it directly? Browse about a bit and see if you get those errors?

Nginx can be tricky for the uninitiated. Maybe you have some knob tweaked just not quite right there?

Frustrating. Fer' sure, fer' sure. The thing is, many, many have gone before you and succeeded following the trail laid out in the docs. Hence, it behooves us to backtrack and figure out where the fcsk' we made a wrong turn.

And in final analysis.... maybe easiest to blow that vm away and start over fresh, minding extra attention to crossing all our i's and dotting all out t's..... than investing yet more effort delving deeper down this rabbit hole.....

Maybe??

ben.coyle2

@gotwf Okay
So:
This is my config file: https://pastebin.com/j7tg3uGY
This is my log when it's started: https://pastebin.com/ac3vYPrU

I did what you said, and I entirely reinstalled everything (Ubuntu 18.04) again. I followed the tutorial word for word.
Without logging into the website, it can be accessed and used as normal. There're no issues (inc. no connection problems)
When choosing to login to the site, the issues begin. It logs in (this doesn't show up in the log for some reason), comes up with 'session mismatch' and kicks you back to the homepage.
Am I just doing something really stupid and being dim?

gotwf

@ben-coyle2 No, I don't think you are being stupid or dim. Apparently there are gremlins afoot here. Post up your nginx config, eh?

julian

You have https set up in your config.json, but are you actually using https to browse the site?

scottalanmiller

@gotwf said in Connection and Session issues (new install):

@ben-coyle2 No, I don't think you are being stupid or dim. Apparently there are gremlins afoot here. Post up your nginx config, eh?

This stuff is honestly really hard. I support these all the time and have for years and new installs that deviate from an established pattern in any way risk having these problems each time. We feel you.

julian

Additionally, as @gotwf says, paste your nginx config, I'm imagining that might be the cause, but we shall see...

ben.coyle2

server { listen 80; server_name heroicsky.co.uk; location / { - Pastebin.com

Pastebin.com is the number one paste tool since 2002. Pastebin is a website where you can store text online for a set period of time.

Pastebin (pastebin.com)

I think that's what you mean by Nginx config & I wouldn't be surprised if I've done something wrong with this

scottalanmiller

That doesn't seem to be all of it?

It's only listening on 80, no HTTPS here?

scottalanmiller

Instead of posting with Pastebin, if you post directly here it'll show the entire code, not just part of it.

scottalanmiller

here is a current modern Nginx conf that I have that is working right now. Like you, this one doesn't handle HTTPS or 443. That's handled by another proxy in front of this one.

server {
        listen 80;
        client_max_body_size 80M;
        server_name your.site.name;
    
        location / {
                proxy_pass http://192.168.1.10:4567/;
                proxy_redirect off;
                proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
                proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
                proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
                proxy_set_header Host $http_host;
                proxy_set_header X-NginX-Proxy true;

                # Socket.IO Support
                proxy_http_version 1.1;
                proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
                proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        }
}

scottalanmiller

Looks awfully similar to me.

ben.coyle2

So;
After this really helpful information above (I would never have thought to check NGINX) I found this https://docs.nodebb.org/configuring/proxies/nginx/ which I followed to set up with the SSL
I then followed a digitalocean link which showed me how to install the certificate
and it seems to have worked

Thank you all so much for your help!

gotwf

@ben-coyle2 Cool, cool, cool!

You persisted, teased out the gremlins and finally got things working. Good job!

Now the real fun begins