Resolving 413 Payload Too Large Error in Nginx

Introduction

In this post, I will explain how to fix the 413 Payload Too Large error in Nginx. Encountering the dreaded 413 Payload Too Large error while uploading files to a web application running on Nginx can be frustrating. This error occurs when Nginx rejects an HTTP request because the size of the payload exceeds the configured limit. In this guide, we will look at how to fix this error and enable larger file uploads on your Nginx server.

Understanding the Error:

The 413 Payload Too Large error occurs when the size of the payload in an HTTP request exceeds the limit set by Nginx. Nginx has a default limit of 1MB for file uploads. When you try to upload a file that is larger than this limit, Nginx rejects the request and returns the 413 error to the client.

Fixing the error:

To resolve the 413 Payload Too Large error, change the client_max_body_size directive in the Nginx configuration file. Take the following steps:

Open the Nginx configuration file with a text editor. Typically, the file is found at /etc/nginx/nginx.config.

sudo vim /etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Add or modify the client_max_body_size directive within the http block to specify the maximum allowable size for file uploads. For example, set the value to 500M to allow up to 500MB of uploads.

http {

   client_max_body_size 500M;

   }

Before restarting the Nginx service, run the following command to verify the validity of the configuration file:

sudo nginx -t

If the configuration is valid, continue to the next step.

To apply the changes, restart the Nginx service.

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Conclusion:

By changing the client_max_body_size directive in the Nginx configuration file, we can effectively resolve the 413 Payload Too Large error and allow larger file uploads on our Nginx server. This simple configuration change ensures that Nginx meets our web application’s size requirements, allowing for seamless file uploads without size-related errors.