Hello, I am having a problem understanding exactly how to configure my nginx server to use SSL with Linode, RoR, Unicorn and spree ecommerce. This post will be kind of long, but this is just so you can see all the steps I have taken thus far. The first section will include all the steps I have taken to set up my linode instance. In this setup, the site displays, but I get the Redirect Loop when I try to log in. Someone suggested that I needed to set up separate server blocks for port 80 and port 443. After I did this (the nginx.conf for that set up will be at the end), every page gives me the Redirect loop. So, I clearly do not understand what I am doing and need a little nudge. Please help me.

--- error message ---

This webpage has a redirect loop

The webpage at https://50.116.18.21/login has resulted in too many redirects. Clearing your cookies for this site or allowing third-party cookies may fix the problem. If not, it is possibly a server configuration issue and not a problem with your computer.

--- end error message ---

--- original steps ---

1. create server Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (with defaults)
2. boot server
3. ssh root@50.116.18.21
4. apt-get -y update
5. apt-get -y install curl git-core python-software-properties
6. add-apt-repository ppa:nginx/stable
7. apt-get -y update
8. apt-get -y install nginx
/*** Can I do the SSL stuff here??? ***/
#. mkdir /srv/ssl/
#. cd /srv/ssl
#. openssl req -new -x509 -days 365 -nodes -out /srv/ssl/nginx.pem -keyout /srv/ssl/nginx.key

9. service nginx start
10. apt-get -y install imagemagick
11. add-apt-repository ppa:pitti/postgresql
12. apt-get -y update
13. apt-get -y install postgresql libpq-dev
14. sudo -u postgres psql
15. \password
16. create user mayorio with password 'secret';
17. create database mayorio_production owner mayorio;
18. \q
19. apt-get -y install telnet postfix
20. add-apt-repository ppa:chris-lea/node.js
21. apt-get -y update
22. apt-get -y install nodejs
23. apt-get -y install libxslt-dev libxml2-dev
24. adduser deployer --ingroup admin
25. su deployer
26. cd
27. curl -L https://raw.github.com/fesplugas/rbenv-installer/master/bin/rbenv-installer | bash
28. vim ~/.bashrc # add rbenv to the top
29. put the following in the top:
--- begin snippet ---
export RBENV_ROOT="${HOME}/.rbenv"

if [ -d "${RBENV_ROOT}" ]; then
export PATH="${RBENV_ROOT}/bin:${PATH}"
eval "$(rbenv init -)"
fi
--- end snippet ---
30. . ~/.bashrc
31. rbenv bootstrap-ubuntu-10-04
32. rbenv install 1.9.3-p125
33. rbenv global 1.9.3-p125
34. gem install bundler --no-ri --no-rdoc
35. rbenv rehash
36. ssh git@github.com
37. switch back to local box
38. rails new mayorio -d postgresql
39. cd mayorio
*** 40 and 41 no longer necessary. they must have fixed it :)
40. edit Gemfile to add "gem 'cocaine', :git => 'git://github.com/thoughtbot/cocaine.git'" (make sure to do to newlines after for spree)
41. bundle install
*** see above ***
42. sudo -u postgres psql
43. create user mayorio with password 'secret';
44. create database mayorio_development owner mayorio;
45. \q
46. edit config/database.yml to add password
47. spree install (accept all defaults)
48. bundle exec rake assets:precompile:nondigest
*** consider adding public/assets to .gitignore ***
49. edit .gitignore and add "/config/database.yml"
50. cp config/database.yml config/database.example.yml
51. git init
52. git add .
53. git commit -m "initial commit"
54. create github repo "mayorio"
55. git remote add origin git@github.com:mlybrand/mayorio.git
56. git push origin master
57. edit Gemfile to uncomment unicorn and capistrano lines
58. bundle
59. capify .
60. edit Capfile to uncomment load assets line
61. edit config/deploy.rb to be the following:
--- begin code snippet ---
require "bundler/capistrano"

server "50.116.18.21", :web, :app, :db, primary: true

set :application, "mayorio"
set :user, "deployer"
set :deploy_to, "/home/#{user}/apps/#{application}"
set :deploy_via, :remote_cache
set :use_sudo, false

set :scm, "git"
set :repository, "git@github.com:mlybrand/#{application}.git"
set :branch, "master"

default_run_options[:pty] = true
ssh_options[:forward_agent] = true

after "deploy", "deploy:cleanup" # keep only the last 5 releases

namespace :deploy do
%w[start stop restart].each do |command|
desc "#{command} unicorn server"
task command, roles: :app, except: {no_release: true} do
run "/etc/init.d/unicorn_#{application} #{command}"
end
end

task :setup_config, roles: :app do
sudo "ln -nfs #{current_path}/config/nginx.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/#{application}"
sudo "ln -nfs #{current_path}/config/unicorn_init.sh /etc/init.d/unicorn_#{application}"
run "mkdir -p #{shared_path}/config"
put File.read("config/database.example.yml"), "#{shared_path}/config/database.yml"
puts "Now edit the config files in #{shared_path}."
end
after "deploy:setup", "deploy:setup_config"

task :symlink_config, roles: :app do
run "ln -nfs #{shared_path}/config/database.yml #{release_path}/config/database.yml"
end
after "deploy:finalize_update", "deploy:symlink_config"

desc "Make sure local git is in sync with remote."
task :check_revision, roles: :web do
unless `git rev-parse HEAD` == `git rev-parse origin/master`
puts "WARNING: HEAD is not the same as origin/master"
puts "Run `git push` to sync changes."
exit
end
end
before "deploy", "deploy:check_revision"
end
--- end code snippet ---
62. edit config/nginx.conf
--- begin code snippet ---
upstream unicorn {
server unix:/tmp/unicorn.mayorio.sock fail_timeout=0;
}

server {
listen 80; # default deferred
# server_name example.com

listen 443 ssl;
ssl_certificate /srv/ssl/nginx.pem;
ssl_certificate_key /srv/ssl/nginx.key;

# server_name example.com;
root /home/deployer/apps/mayorio/current/public;

location ^~ /assets/ {
gzip_static on;
expires max;
add_header Cache-Control public;
}

try_files $uri/index.html $uri @unicorn;
location @unicorn {
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
proxy_set_header Host $http_host;
proxy_redirect off;
proxy_pass http://unicorn;
}

error_page 500 502 503 504 /500.html;
client_max_body_size 4G;
keepalive_timeout 10;
}

--- end code snippet ---
63. edit config/unicorn.rb
--- begin code snippet ---
root = "/home/deployer/apps/mayorio/current"
working_directory root
pid "#{root}/tmp/pids/unicorn.pid"
stderr_path "#{root}/log/unicorn.log"
stdout_path "#{root}/log/unicorn.log"

listen "/tmp/unicorn.mayorio.sock"
worker_processes 2
timeout 30
--- end code snippet ---
64. edit config/unicorn_init.sh
--- begin code snippet ---
#!/bin/sh
### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides: unicorn
# Required-Start: $remote_fs $syslog
# Required-Stop: $remote_fs $syslog
# Default-Start: 2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop: 0 1 6
# Short-Description: Manage unicorn server
# Description: Start, stop, restart unicorn server for a specific application.
### END INIT INFO
set -e

# Feel free to change any of the following variables for your app:
TIMEOUT=${TIMEOUT-60}
APP_ROOT=/home/deployer/apps/mayorio/current
PID=$APP_ROOT/tmp/pids/unicorn.pid
CMD="cd $APP_ROOT; bundle exec unicorn -D -c $APP_ROOT/config/unicorn.rb -E production"
AS_USER=deployer
set -u

OLD_PIN="$PID.oldbin"

sig () {
test -s "$PID" && kill -$1 `cat $PID`
}

oldsig () {
test -s $OLD_PIN && kill -$1 `cat $OLD_PIN`
}

run () {
if [ "$(id -un)" = "$AS_USER" ]; then
eval $1
else
su -c "$1" - $AS_USER
fi
}

case "$1" in
start)
sig 0 && echo >&2 "Already running" && exit 0
run "$CMD"
;;
stop)
sig QUIT && exit 0
echo >&2 "Not running"
;;
force-stop)
sig TERM && exit 0
echo >&2 "Not running"
;;
restart|reload)
sig HUP && echo reloaded OK && exit 0
echo >&2 "Couldn't reload, starting '$CMD' instead"
run "$CMD"
;;
upgrade)
if sig USR2 && sleep 2 && sig 0 && oldsig QUIT
then
n=$TIMEOUT
while test -s $OLD_PIN && test $n -ge 0
do
printf '.' && sleep 1 && n=$(( $n - 1 ))
done
echo

if test $n -lt 0 && test -s $OLD_PIN
then
echo >&2 "$OLD_PIN still exists after $TIMEOUT seconds"
exit 1
fi
exit 0
fi
echo >&2 "Couldn't upgrade, starting '$CMD' instead"
run "$CMD"
;;
reopen-logs)
sig USR1
;;
*)
echo >&2 "Usage: $0 <start|stop|restart|upgrade|force-stop|reopen-logs>"
exit 1
;;
esac
--- end code snippet ---
65. chmod +x config/unicorn_init.sh
66. git add .
67. git commit -m "deployment configs"
68. git push
69. cap deploy:setup
70. ssh deployer@50.116.18.21
71. cd apps/mayorio/shared/config
72. vim database.yml
73. remove everything except production
74. add password for production
75. add "host: localhost"
76. exit
77. cap deploy:cold
78. ssh deployer@50.116.18.21
79. sudo rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default
80. sudo service nginx restart
81. sudo update-rc.d unicorn_mayorio defaults

--- end original steps ---

--- final nginx.conf used ---

upstream unicorn {
server unix:/tmp/unicorn.mayorio.sock fail_timeout=0;
}

server {
listen 80; # default deferred
# server_name example.com
rewrite ^(.*) https://$host$1 permanent;

location ~ \.(php|html)$ {
deny all;
}

access_log /dev/null;
error_log /dev/null;
}

server {
ssl on;
# server_name example.com
listen 443 ssl;
ssl_certificate /srv/ssl/nginx.pem;
ssl_certificate_key /srv/ssl/nginx.key;

# server_name example.com;
root /home/deployer/apps/mayorio/current/public;

location ^~ /assets/ {
gzip_static on;
expires max;
add_header Cache-Control public;
}

try_files $uri/index.html $uri @unicorn;
location @unicorn {
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
proxy_set_header Host $http_host;
proxy_redirect off;
proxy_pass http://unicorn;
}

error_page 500 502 503 504 /500.html;
client_max_body_size 4G;
keepalive_timeout 10;
}

--- end final nginx.conf ---