When configuring Nginx to display directory listings using autoindex, many developers encounter a frustrating 403 Forbidden error. The server attempts to find an index file despite autoindex on being set, which isn't the intended behavior.

The key issue lies in how Nginx processes the root directive. In the original configuration:

location /files/ {
    root        /home/myfiles/Downloads;
    autoindex   on;
}

Nginx constructs the full path by appending the URI to the root directory, looking for /home/myfiles/Downloads/files/ when the request is for /files/. This explains why it's searching for index.html in that unexpected location.

Use alias instead of root when you want to map a URL directly to a specific directory:

location /files/ {
    alias       /home/myfiles/Downloads/;
    autoindex   on;
}

Important notes about this solution:

• The trailing slash in both the location and alias is crucial
• Ensure the Nginx worker process has read permissions for the directory
• Consider adding disable_symlinks off; if you need to follow symlinks

Even with correct configuration, you might still get 403 errors due to:

# Check and set proper permissions:
sudo chmod -R 755 /home/myfiles/Downloads
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /home/myfiles/Downloads  # Adjust for your Nginx user

For enhanced directory listings, consider these additions:

location /files/ {
    alias       /home/myfiles/Downloads/;
    autoindex   on;
    autoindex_exact_size off;
    autoindex_localtime on;
    add_header  X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff";
    
    # Optional: Customize listing format
    autoindex_format html;
}

Always verify your changes:

sudo nginx -t        # Test configuration syntax
sudo systemctl reload nginx  # Apply changes

When enabling directory listings:

• Never enable on sensitive directories
• Consider adding basic authentication
• Restrict access by IP if possible
• Use location blocks to exclude specific subdirectories

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When configuring Nginx to display directory listings, many developers encounter the frustrating 403 Forbidden error. The key problem lies in understanding how Nginx's root directive interprets paths versus the alias directive.

The configuration you're using:

location /files/ {
    root        /home/myfiles/Downloads;
    autoindex   on;
}

Nginx constructs the final path by concatenating the root value with the full URI path. So for /files/, Nginx looks for:

/home/myfiles/Downloads/files/index.html

This explains your 403 error - it's searching in the wrong location.

Option 1: Using alias directive

location /files/ {
    alias       /home/myfiles/Downloads/;
    autoindex   on;
}

Unlike root, alias replaces the matched part of the URI with the specified path. Now accessing /files/ will show contents of /home/myfiles/Downloads/.

Option 2: Adjusting root path

location /files/ {
    root        /home/myfiles;
    autoindex   on;
}

This works because Nginx will now look for files at /home/myfiles/files, which aligns with your directory structure.

Even with correct configuration, you might still see 403 errors if:

• Nginx worker process lacks read permissions on the directory (chmod 755 /path)
• Directory isn't executable (chmod +x /path)
• SELinux policies are blocking access (check with getenforce)

For more control over directory listings:

location /downloads/ {
    alias /var/data/files/;
    autoindex on;
    autoindex_exact_size off;
    autoindex_localtime on;
    autoindex_format html;
    add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN";
}

Always verify changes:

sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

Check logs for errors:

tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log