nginx php with wordpress at root and another app in subdirectory

Question

I'm having some issues getting a subdirectory working on my nginx server.

I'm using nginx to serve a wordpress installation as the web root, and trying to run an additional php application at a subdirectory. Wordpress runs fine, but I cannot for the life of me get the application to run in the subdirectory without a 404, 403, or "No input file specified." error with various configurations. I'm sure there is something obvious, but I can't seem to figure it out!

Here is the relevant config:

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

server {
listen       myserver.edu:8081;                
server_name  myserver.edu:8081;           

try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php;


location / {
    root /path/to/nginx/html/wordpress;
    index index.php;
}

location /stacks {
    alias /another/path/to/usr/local/share/stacks/php;
    index index.php;
}

location ~ \.php$ {
    set $php_root /path/to/nginx/html/wordpress;
    include        fastcgi_params;
    fastcgi_pass   localhost:8082;
    fastcgi_param  SCRIPT_FILENAME  $php_root$fastcgi_script_name;
    }

location ~ \stacks.php$ {
    set $php_root /another/path/to/usr/local/share/stacks/php;
    include        fastcgi_params;
    fastcgi_pass   localhost:8082;
    fastcgi_param  SCRIPT_FILENAME  $php_root$fastcgi_script_name;
    }

Answer 1

I don't know how to do it using your alias and setting $php_root. I do know how to fix it if you make a symbolic link from the external folder into your wordpress-rootdirectory.

So using the terminal you make a symbolic link so that your stacks-subdirectory is an actual subdirectory:

 ln -s /another/path/to/usr/local/share/stacks/php /path/to/nginx/html/wordpress/stacks

As an nginx-config I would use

server {
    listen       myserver.edu:8081;                
    server_name  myserver.edu:8081;

    root /path/to/nginx/html/wordpress;
    index index.php;       

    location / {    
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php;
    }

    location /stacks {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /stacks/index.php;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        fastcgi_pass   localhost:8082;
        include        fastcgi_params;
    }
}

Answer 2

Comment out 'try_files'. Do the sub directories start to work then? Perhaps it is processed before the 'location' directives are considered. If that's the case, then move the 'try_files' into the block for 'location /'.

I think that's a better place for 'try_files' anyway. In the current configuration, it looks like requests for files that don't exist will all be sent to Wordpress, even if they are in the 'stacks' directory.