Nginx Location Tester | Location Block Matcher

Nginx location tester matches any request URI against your location blocks and shows which one nginx picks, and why, using real precedence rules. Designed specifically for developers and professionals, this free online validator runs entirely in your browser to process tasks quickly and securely. Enjoy unlimited usage with no data tracking and no registration required.

Also known as: nginx location tester · nginx location block matcher · test nginx location match online · nginx location priority order · nginx regex location tester · nginx location precedence checker · which nginx location block matches · nginx uri routing tester

devops and infrastructure tools

api and http tools

validators

Nginx Config

Request URI

Match Report

The winning location block, and every step nginx took to choose it, will appear here.

About Nginx Location Tester

This nginx location tester takes a server block and a request URI, then shows which location block nginx would choose and every step it took to get there. Location selection is not top to bottom: an exact match wins outright, the longest prefix is only remembered, and a regular expression can still take the request away from it.

Key Features

Implements the documented nginx order: exact =, longest prefix, ^~, then regex in file order
Explains each step, so you can see which block was beaten and why
Handles ~ case-sensitive and ~* case-insensitive regular expressions
Normalizes the URI the way nginx does: query string dropped, %XX decoded, slashes merged, dot segments resolved
Resolves nested location blocks inside the winning parent block
Skips named @locations, which only serve internal redirects and never match a request

Use Cases

Work out why a static asset is hitting your proxy_pass block instead of the file root
Confirm a new ^~ block will stop an image regex from stealing requests before you deploy
Check that an exact = /health block really catches the load balancer probe on us-east-1
Prove which block sets the cache headers on a URL that is being served stale
Review a coworker's nginx config in a pull request without spinning up a container
Test a URI with a query string or an encoded slash against production routing rules

Supported Formats

nginx.conf

.conf

server blocks

location blocks

=, ^~, ~, ~*, @named

Related Keywords

nginx location tester

nginx location block matcher

test nginx location match online

nginx location priority order

nginx regex location tester

nginx location precedence checker

which nginx location block matches

nginx uri routing tester

Why does nginx pick a regex block over my longer, more specific prefix?

Because a prefix match is only remembered, not decided. nginx records the longest matching prefix, then checks every regular expression in the order they appear in the config file, and the first regex that matches wins the request outright. The remembered prefix is used only when no regex matches. Two things change that: an exact match with = ends the search immediately, and the ^~ modifier on the longest matching prefix tells nginx to skip the regex pass entirely. If a catch-all image or PHP regex keeps stealing requests, adding ^~ to the prefix block is usually the fix.

Privacy & Security

All processing happens locally in your browser. Your data never leaves your computer, ensuring complete privacy and security.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Nginx Location Tester used for?

Nginx location tester matches any request URI against your location blocks and shows which one nginx picks, and why, using real precedence rules.

Is Nginx Location Tester free to use?

Yes. Nginx Location Tester is completely free with no usage limits, and there is no paid tier required to use it.

Do I need an account to use Nginx Location Tester?

No. Nginx Location Tester works immediately in your browser with no signup, login, or email address required.

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