Host multiple websites on one Hostinger VPS (Nginx, step by step)

How it works

Every domain points at the same server IP. Nginx listens on ports 80 and 443, reads the domain each browser asks for, and hands the request to the right site: a folder of files for a static site, or a local port for an app.

That's all there is to it. One server block per site, one port per app, and Certbot adds HTTPS to each domain.

How many sites fit?

Static sites barely use any resources. Apps are what fill a server, mostly through RAM.

1. Point every domain at the server

For each domain, add an A record for `@` and `www` with your VPS IP address. Do this first, because Certbot can only issue a certificate once the domain resolves to your server.

• Point a domain to your VPS, step by step →

2. Install Nginx

Start from a secured Ubuntu 24.04 server with UFW enabled.

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y nginx
sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'
sudo rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default

3. Add a static site

Put the files in their own folder and give the site its own config file.

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/site-one.com/public
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/www/site-one.com
echo '<h1>site-one.com works</h1>' > /var/www/site-one.com/public/index.html

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    server_name site-one.com www.site-one.com;

    root /var/www/site-one.com/public;
    index index.html;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
    }
}

4. Add a Node.js app

Give each app its own port and keep it running with PM2. Apps should listen on `127.0.0.1` only, so the outside world can reach them only through Nginx.

sudo npm install -g pm2
cd ~/apps/site-two
npm ci && npm run build
PORT=3001 HOSTNAME=127.0.0.1 pm2 start npm --name site-two -- start
pm2 save && pm2 startup   # run the command it prints

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    server_name site-two.com www.site-two.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3001;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        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 Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
    }
}

5. Enable the sites

`nginx -t` checks every config file before the reload, so a typo in one site can't take the others down.

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/site-one.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/site-two.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx

6. Free HTTPS for every domain

Certbot reads your server blocks, gets a Let's Encrypt certificate for each domain, adds the HTTPS settings and sets up automatic renewal.

sudo apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d site-one.com -d www.site-one.com
sudo certbot --nginx -d site-two.com -d www.site-two.com
sudo certbot renew --dry-run

Adding the next site

Every new site follows the same steps:

• •Point the domain's A records at the VPS.
• •Create a folder (static) or start the app on a new port with PM2 (app).
• •Copy an existing config file in sites-available, change server_name and root or the port.
• •Link it into sites-enabled, run `nginx -t`, then reload.
• •Run Certbot for the new domain.

Prefer a dashboard?

If you'd rather not edit config files, Coolify runs on the same VPS and does all of this through a web interface: domains, HTTPS, Git deploys and databases. It uses more memory than plain Nginx, so it suits KVM 2 and up.

• Install Coolify on a Hostinger VPS →
• Auto-deploy each site with GitHub Actions →