[GH-ISSUE #1412] Wizard fails during installation #2860

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opened 2026-02-27 12:28:05 +03:00 by kerem · 0 comments

kerem commented

2026-02-27 12:28:05 +03:00

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Originally created by @enwikuna on GitHub (Oct 28, 2025).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/0xJacky/nginx-ui/issues/1412

Describe the bug
The initial setup wizard (“Self Check” screen) in uozi/nginx-ui:latest never finishes and never allows proceeding to the actual UI. It always reports failing checks like “PID path not exist”, “Config directory not exist”, “Sites-available directory not exist”, even though Nginx is actually running in the container, the config directory is mounted correctly, and all required paths and files exist.

Because the wizard never turns green, there is no way to complete installation through the normal flow.

Additionally, /install does not present a normal “create admin user” wizard. Instead, calling / or /install returns {"message":"not found"} until the Self Check is passed — which in this case is impossible.

It looks like the wizard fails to parse live Nginx info even though Nginx is there and working.

To Reproduce

Start nginx-ui using the official uozi/nginx-ui:latest image with a bind-mount for /etc/nginx and /etc/nginx-ui, plus published ports 8080→80 and 8443→443.
Make sure /etc/nginx (on host we mount /opt/system/nginx-ui/nginx) is populated with a normal Nginx config:
- nginx.conf with pid /var/run/nginx.pid;
- conf.d/, sites-available/, sites-enabled/, etc.
Browse to http://SERVER_IP:8080 or via SSH tunnel (ssh -L 8080:127.0.0.1:8080 root@SERVER_IP) and let nginx-ui show the installer “Self Check”.
The Self Check shows multiple ❌ items:
- “Config directory not exist”
- “Sites-available directory not exist”
- “Failed to read nginx.conf”
- “PID path not exist”
Click “Attempt to fix” on each item. The UI still reports ❌.
Click “Recheck”. Still ❌.
You cannot advance past this screen.

Meanwhile, inside the running nginx-ui container:

The config dir and files exist and are readable:

docker exec -it nginx-ui ls /etc/nginx
# conf.d  fastcgi_params  mime.types  modules  nginx.conf  scgi_params
# sites-available  sites-enabled  streams-available  streams-enabled  uwsgi_params

The PID path exists and contains the actual master PID:

docker exec -it nginx-ui sh -c 'cat /etc/nginx/nginx.conf | grep pid'
# pid        /var/run/nginx.pid;

docker exec -it nginx-ui ls -l /run /var/run
# /var/run -> /run
# /run/nginx.pid (present, contains PID)

nginx -V from inside the container clearly shows correct build flags:

--conf-path=/etc/nginx/nginx.conf
--pid-path=/run/nginx.pid
--error-log-path=/var/log/nginx/error.log
--http-log-path=/var/log/nginx/access.log

But nginx-ui logs spam errors like:

ERROR ... internal/nginx/resolve_path.go:91    nginx.GetConfEntryPath len(match) < 1
ERROR ... internal/nginx/resolve_path.go:67    nginx.GetConfPath len(match) < 1
ERROR ... internal/nginx/resolve_path.go:109   pid path not found in nginx -V output
...
PID path not exist

So nginx-ui fails to “see” the exact same paths it just printed from nginx -V. It never marks the PID path as valid, and because of that the wizard refuses to continue. The admin user screen is never reachable.

Expected behavior

The installer should accept a valid, already-running Nginx config when:
- /etc/nginx/nginx.conf exists and is readable,
- /etc/nginx/sites-available and /etc/nginx/sites-enabled exist (they do),
- the PID file path in nginx.conf exists and contains a PID (/var/run/nginx.pid -> /run/nginx.pid exists).
Clicking “Attempt to fix” should populate any missing internal settings so that “Recheck” turns green and allows proceeding.
If Nginx is already running and we’re just attaching nginx-ui to manage it, the wizard should not block forever.

Additionally:
If the project has moved to a “headless install” flow (env vars like NGINX_UI_NODE_SKIP_INSTALLATION, NGINX_UI_PREDEFINED_USER_NAME, etc.), then the wizard should either:

honour those env vars and skip itself entirely, OR
surface a login page directly, instead of trapping the user on Self Check.

Right now, the wizard is a dead end for me.

Screenshots

Wizard Self Check screen shows many ❌ such as:
- “Config directory not exist”
- “Sites-available directory not exist”
- “Nginx PID path exists: PID path not exist”
  even though /etc/nginx contains full config and /run/nginx.pid exists in the container.
Clicking “Attempt to fix” does not flip them to ✅.

Info (please complete the following information):

Server OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (x86_64)
Server Arch: x86_64
Nginx UI Version: uozi/nginx-ui:latest as of 2025-10-28
Your Browser: Firefox latest on desktop
Docker runtime: compose v2, container runs in a custom external network proxy-tier

Relevant container logs at startup:

ERROR ... internal/nginx/resolve_path.go:91    nginx.GetConfEntryPath len(match) < 1
ERROR ... internal/nginx/resolve_path.go:67    nginx.GetConfPath len(match) < 1
ERROR ... internal/nginx/resolve_path.go:109   pid path not found in nginx -V output
DEBUG ... nginx version: nginx/1.29.1
...
configure arguments: --prefix=/etc/nginx --sbin-path=/usr/sbin/nginx
 --conf-path=/etc/nginx/nginx.conf
 --error-log-path=/var/log/nginx/error.log
 --http-log-path=/var/log/nginx/access.log
 --pid-path=/run/nginx.pid
...
PID path not exist

As you can see, nginx-ui itself prints --pid-path=/run/nginx.pid from nginx -V, and /var/run/nginx.pid actually exists (with /var/run symlinked to /run), but the wizard still errors “PID path not exist” and never proceeds.

Additional context
Below is our docker-compose.yml snippet we use to run nginx-ui side-by-side with an existing nginx proxy. We mount empty host dirs into /etc/nginx and /etc/nginx-ui, then nginx-ui populates them. Ports 8080/8443 are for testing before we swap it to :80/:443 in production:

  nginx-ui:
    image: uozi/nginx-ui:latest
    container_name: nginx-ui
    restart: always
    environment:
      - TZ=Europe/Berlin
      # (we also tried without predefined vars, and with predefined vars)
      # - NGINX_UI_PREDEFINED_USER_NAME=enwikuna
      # - NGINX_UI_PREDEFINED_USER_PASSWORD=SuperSecret123!
      # - NGINX_UI_NGINX_CONTAINER_NAME=nginx-ui
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
      - "8443:443"
    volumes:
      - /opt/system/nginx-ui/nginx:/etc/nginx
      - /opt/system/nginx-ui/ui:/etc/nginx-ui
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
    networks:
      - proxy-tier

networks:
  proxy-tier:
    external: true

Inside nginx-ui, after first start, /etc/nginx looks like this (bind-mounted from host):

conf.d
fastcgi_params
mime.types
modules
nginx.conf
scgi_params
sites-available
sites-enabled
streams-available
streams-enabled
uwsgi_params

nginx.conf contains:

pid        /var/run/nginx.pid;
...
include /etc/nginx/conf.d/*.conf;
include /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/*.conf;

And /run/nginx.pid exists and holds the current master PID.

TL;DR

nginx-ui installer refuses to accept a perfectly valid running Nginx.
It never advances past the Self Check.
It incorrectly reports “PID path not exist” even though /var/run/nginx.pid (→ /run/nginx.pid) is present.
There is no way to reach the login / dashboard without manually setting a bunch of undocumented env vars to skip the installation wizard.

It would help if:

the wizard accepted /var/run symlinking to /run, or
the wizard let us continue after manual confirmation, or
these config paths could be entered in the wizard UI directly, or
the documented env vars for non-interactive install were mentioned prominently so we can bypass the wizard cleanly.

Originally created by @enwikuna on GitHub (Oct 28, 2025). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/0xJacky/nginx-ui/issues/1412 **Describe the bug** The initial setup wizard (“Self Check” screen) in `uozi/nginx-ui:latest` never finishes and never allows proceeding to the actual UI. It always reports failing checks like “PID path not exist”, “Config directory not exist”, “Sites-available directory not exist”, even though Nginx is actually running in the container, the config directory is mounted correctly, and all required paths and files exist. Because the wizard never turns green, there is no way to complete installation through the normal flow. Additionally, `/install` does not present a normal “create admin user” wizard. Instead, calling `/` or `/install` returns `{"message":"not found"}` until the Self Check is passed — which in this case is impossible. It looks like the wizard fails to parse live Nginx info even though Nginx is there and working. **To Reproduce** 1. Start `nginx-ui` using the official `uozi/nginx-ui:latest` image with a bind-mount for `/etc/nginx` and `/etc/nginx-ui`, plus published ports 8080→80 and 8443→443. 2. Make sure `/etc/nginx` (on host we mount `/opt/system/nginx-ui/nginx`) is populated with a normal Nginx config: - `nginx.conf` with `pid /var/run/nginx.pid;` - `conf.d/`, `sites-available/`, `sites-enabled/`, etc. 3. Browse to `http://SERVER_IP:8080` or via SSH tunnel (`ssh -L 8080:127.0.0.1:8080 root@SERVER_IP`) and let nginx-ui show the installer “Self Check”. 4. The Self Check shows multiple ❌ items: - “Config directory not exist” - “Sites-available directory not exist” - “Failed to read nginx.conf” - “PID path not exist” 5. Click “Attempt to fix” on each item. The UI still reports ❌. 6. Click “Recheck”. Still ❌. 7. You cannot advance past this screen. Meanwhile, inside the running `nginx-ui` container: - The config dir and files exist and are readable: ```bash docker exec -it nginx-ui ls /etc/nginx # conf.d fastcgi_params mime.types modules nginx.conf scgi_params # sites-available sites-enabled streams-available streams-enabled uwsgi_params ``` - The PID path exists and contains the actual master PID: ```bash docker exec -it nginx-ui sh -c 'cat /etc/nginx/nginx.conf | grep pid' # pid /var/run/nginx.pid; docker exec -it nginx-ui ls -l /run /var/run # /var/run -> /run # /run/nginx.pid (present, contains PID) ``` - `nginx -V` from inside the container clearly shows correct build flags: ``` --conf-path=/etc/nginx/nginx.conf --pid-path=/run/nginx.pid --error-log-path=/var/log/nginx/error.log --http-log-path=/var/log/nginx/access.log ``` But nginx-ui logs spam errors like: ```text ERROR ... internal/nginx/resolve_path.go:91 nginx.GetConfEntryPath len(match) < 1 ERROR ... internal/nginx/resolve_path.go:67 nginx.GetConfPath len(match) < 1 ERROR ... internal/nginx/resolve_path.go:109 pid path not found in nginx -V output ... PID path not exist ``` So nginx-ui fails to “see” the exact same paths it just printed from `nginx -V`. It never marks the PID path as valid, and because of that the wizard refuses to continue. The admin user screen is never reachable. **Expected behavior** - The installer should accept a valid, already-running Nginx config when: - `/etc/nginx/nginx.conf` exists and is readable, - `/etc/nginx/sites-available` and `/etc/nginx/sites-enabled` exist (they do), - the PID file path in `nginx.conf` exists and contains a PID (`/var/run/nginx.pid` -> `/run/nginx.pid` exists). - Clicking “Attempt to fix” should populate any missing internal settings so that “Recheck” turns green and allows proceeding. - If Nginx is already running and we’re just attaching nginx-ui to manage it, the wizard should not block forever. Additionally: If the project has moved to a “headless install” flow (env vars like `NGINX_UI_NODE_SKIP_INSTALLATION`, `NGINX_UI_PREDEFINED_USER_NAME`, etc.), then the wizard should either: - honour those env vars and skip itself entirely, OR - surface a login page directly, instead of trapping the user on Self Check. Right now, the wizard is a dead end for me. **Screenshots** - Wizard Self Check screen shows many ❌ such as: - “Config directory not exist” - “Sites-available directory not exist” - “Nginx PID path exists: PID path not exist” even though `/etc/nginx` contains full config and `/run/nginx.pid` exists in the container. - Clicking “Attempt to fix” does not flip them to ✅. <img width="899" height="894" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/71ed8ab2-6553-417b-8170-10379022ace6" /> **Info (please complete the following information):** - Server OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (x86_64) - Server Arch: x86_64 - Nginx UI Version: `uozi/nginx-ui:latest` as of 2025-10-28 - Your Browser: Firefox latest on desktop - Docker runtime: compose v2, container runs in a custom external network `proxy-tier` Relevant container logs at startup: ```text ERROR ... internal/nginx/resolve_path.go:91 nginx.GetConfEntryPath len(match) < 1 ERROR ... internal/nginx/resolve_path.go:67 nginx.GetConfPath len(match) < 1 ERROR ... internal/nginx/resolve_path.go:109 pid path not found in nginx -V output DEBUG ... nginx version: nginx/1.29.1 ... configure arguments: --prefix=/etc/nginx --sbin-path=/usr/sbin/nginx --conf-path=/etc/nginx/nginx.conf --error-log-path=/var/log/nginx/error.log --http-log-path=/var/log/nginx/access.log --pid-path=/run/nginx.pid ... PID path not exist ``` As you can see, nginx-ui itself prints `--pid-path=/run/nginx.pid` from `nginx -V`, and `/var/run/nginx.pid` actually exists (with `/var/run` symlinked to `/run`), but the wizard still errors “PID path not exist” and never proceeds. **Additional context** Below is our `docker-compose.yml` snippet we use to run nginx-ui side-by-side with an existing nginx proxy. We mount empty host dirs into `/etc/nginx` and `/etc/nginx-ui`, then nginx-ui populates them. Ports 8080/8443 are for testing before we swap it to :80/:443 in production: ```yaml nginx-ui: image: uozi/nginx-ui:latest container_name: nginx-ui restart: always environment: - TZ=Europe/Berlin # (we also tried without predefined vars, and with predefined vars) # - NGINX_UI_PREDEFINED_USER_NAME=enwikuna # - NGINX_UI_PREDEFINED_USER_PASSWORD=SuperSecret123! # - NGINX_UI_NGINX_CONTAINER_NAME=nginx-ui ports: - "8080:80" - "8443:443" volumes: - /opt/system/nginx-ui/nginx:/etc/nginx - /opt/system/nginx-ui/ui:/etc/nginx-ui - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock networks: - proxy-tier networks: proxy-tier: external: true ``` Inside `nginx-ui`, after first start, `/etc/nginx` looks like this (bind-mounted from host): ```text conf.d fastcgi_params mime.types modules nginx.conf scgi_params sites-available sites-enabled streams-available streams-enabled uwsgi_params ``` `nginx.conf` contains: ```nginx pid /var/run/nginx.pid; ... include /etc/nginx/conf.d/*.conf; include /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/*.conf; ``` And `/run/nginx.pid` exists and holds the current master PID. **TL;DR** - nginx-ui installer refuses to accept a perfectly valid running Nginx. - It never advances past the Self Check. - It incorrectly reports “PID path not exist” even though `/var/run/nginx.pid` (→ `/run/nginx.pid`) is present. - There is no way to reach the login / dashboard without manually setting a bunch of undocumented env vars to skip the installation wizard. It would help if: - the wizard accepted `/var/run` symlinking to `/run`, or - the wizard let us continue after manual confirmation, or - these config paths could be entered in the wizard UI directly, or - the documented env vars for non-interactive install were mentioned prominently so we can bypass the wizard cleanly.