Resolving NGINX Configuration Error Due to Missing dhparams.pem File

Introduction

When deploying a site with Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates on an NGINX server, many users encounter a range of issues. One prevalent problem is an NGINX config error due to missing dhparams.pem. This error, which often occurs when configuring HTTPS, happens when the required dhparams parameters file cannot be loaded. As a result, NGINX may fail to reload its configuration properly, preventing your site from being served securely.

The Problem: NGINX Config Error Due to Missing dhparams.pem File

when trying to add a site with a Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate for the domain. The error popped up while attempting to reload the NGINX service after generating the SSL certificate, and the site wouldn’t load.

At this point, login via SSH into the server and tried to manually test the NGINX configuration using the following command:

nginx -t

The error message displayed as:

nginx: [emerg] BIO_new_file("/etc/nginx/dhparams.pem") failed (SSL: error:02001002:system library:fopen:No such file or directory:fopen('/etc/nginx/dhparams.pem','r') error:2006D080:BIO routines:BIO_new_file:no such file)
nginx: configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf test failed

As shown in the error, NGINX could not find the dhparams.pem file in the /etc/nginx/ directory. This file is a crucial part of the key exchange, used to secure the SSL/TLS handshake process. Without it, the NGINX configuration cannot be validated or reloaded.

To resolve this issue, manually generate the dhparams.pem file on the affected server. First, SSH into the server where NGINX is running. Make sure you have administrative privileges.

Run the following command to generate the dhparams.pem file with 4096-bit key size. You can adjust the size based on your security needs, but 4096 bits is considered strong.

sudo openssl dhparam -out /etc/nginx/dhparams.pem 4096

The process can take several minutes, depending on the strength of the key size and the resources available on your server.

After the command finishes, verify that the dhparams.pem file has been created:

ls -l /etc/nginx/dhparams.pem

This command should show the details of the newly created file. If it’s there, you’re good to go. Now test the NGINX configuration again:

If everything is correct, the test should pass with a message like

nginx: configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf test is successful

Finally, reload NGINX to apply the changes:

sudo service nginx reload

Your site should now be running with the updated SSL configuration, and the NGINX server will reload successfully without any errors.

If you’re facing an NGINX config error due to missing dhparams.pem, our team is here to help. Contact us for expert assistance in resolving this issue and ensuring your server runs smoothly. We offer comprehensive server management services to keep your NGINX setup secure and optimized.