[GH-ISSUE #1520] 🐛 Bug: nginx-ui keeps trying to connect to stale unix socket (nginx-ui.sock) #3038

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opened 2026-02-27 12:30:28 +03:00 by kerem · 0 comments

kerem commented

2026-02-27 12:30:28 +03:00

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Originally created by @bishwajitcadhikary on GitHub (Jan 12, 2026).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/0xJacky/nginx-ui/issues/1520

When running nginx-ui on macOS via Homebrew, the application repeatedly tries to connect to a Unix socket (nginx-ui.sock) that is not active or not created by default.
This causes continuous connection refused errors in the error log, even though the web UI works normally over HTTP.

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To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:
1. Install nginx-ui using Homebrew

brew install nginx-ui
brew services start nginx-ui

2.	Open nginx-ui in the browser (UI loads correctly)
3.	Monitor error logs

tail -f /opt/homebrew/var/log/nginx-ui.err.log

4.	Observe repeated socket errors:

dial unix /opt/homebrew/var/nginx-ui/nginx-ui.sock: connect: connection refused

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Expected behavior
nginx-ui should not attempt to connect to a Unix socket unless socket mode is explicitly configured.
If socket support is disabled or unused, no socket-related errors should appear in logs.

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Screenshots
N/A (log output included above)

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Info (please complete the following information):
• Server OS: macOS (Apple Silicon)
• Server Arch: aarch64 (arm64)
• Nginx UI Version: Homebrew latest (as of Jan 2026)
• Your Browser: Chrome / Safari

⸻

Additional context
• The web UI and API endpoints return 200 OK and function correctly.
• Error repeats every ~10 seconds in nginx-ui.err.log.
• Removing the stale socket file immediately resolves the issue:

rm -f /opt/homebrew/var/nginx-ui/nginx-ui.sock

•	After removal, the error logs stop and the service behaves normally.
•	This issue is confusing because brew services info nginx-ui may show Loaded ✔ but Running ✘, while the process is actually running.

Suggestion:
• Disable Unix socket usage unless explicitly enabled
• Or validate socket existence before attempting to dial
• Or auto-clean stale socket files on startup

Originally created by @bishwajitcadhikary on GitHub (Jan 12, 2026). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/0xJacky/nginx-ui/issues/1520 When running nginx-ui on macOS via Homebrew, the application repeatedly tries to connect to a Unix socket (nginx-ui.sock) that is not active or not created by default. This causes continuous connection refused errors in the error log, even though the web UI works normally over HTTP. ⸻ To Reproduce Steps to reproduce the behavior: 1. Install nginx-ui using Homebrew brew install nginx-ui brew services start nginx-ui 2. Open nginx-ui in the browser (UI loads correctly) 3. Monitor error logs tail -f /opt/homebrew/var/log/nginx-ui.err.log 4. Observe repeated socket errors: dial unix /opt/homebrew/var/nginx-ui/nginx-ui.sock: connect: connection refused ⸻ Expected behavior nginx-ui should not attempt to connect to a Unix socket unless socket mode is explicitly configured. If socket support is disabled or unused, no socket-related errors should appear in logs. ⸻ Screenshots N/A (log output included above) ⸻ Info (please complete the following information): • Server OS: macOS (Apple Silicon) • Server Arch: aarch64 (arm64) • Nginx UI Version: Homebrew latest (as of Jan 2026) • Your Browser: Chrome / Safari ⸻ Additional context • The web UI and API endpoints return 200 OK and function correctly. • Error repeats every ~10 seconds in nginx-ui.err.log. • Removing the stale socket file immediately resolves the issue: rm -f /opt/homebrew/var/nginx-ui/nginx-ui.sock • After removal, the error logs stop and the service behaves normally. • This issue is confusing because brew services info nginx-ui may show Loaded ✔ but Running ✘, while the process is actually running. Suggestion: • Disable Unix socket usage unless explicitly enabled • Or validate socket existence before attempting to dial • Or auto-clean stale socket files on startup