Proxy Project in aaPanel is used to create a reverse proxy for a domain name. This method is commonly used when your website/app is running on an internal port, for example:

http://127.0.0.1:3000
http://127.0.0.1:4099
http://localhost:8000

After configuring the Proxy Project, users only need to access the domain name such as:

https://yourdomain.com

aaPanel/Nginx will automatically forward the request to the application running behind it.

1. Preparation before configuration

Before creating a Proxy Project, you need to prepare:

Domain name

Example:

yourdomain.com
www.yourdomain.com

This domain needs to have its DNS pointed to the IP address of the server where aaPanel is installed.

Example DNS records:

If you use Cloudflare, you can enable or disable the orange cloud proxy depending on your needs. When configuring SSL for the first time, if you encounter verification errors, you should temporarily switch to DNS Only first.

The backend application is running

For example, a Node.js/Next.js app is running at:

http://127.0.0.1:3000

You should check it first with the command:

curl http://127.0.0.1:3000

If it returns HTML or website content, it means the app is running properly.

2. Create a Proxy Project in aaPanel

In aaPanel, go to the website management or reverse proxy section, then select:

Add proxy

Then fill in the information as follows.

3. Configure Domain Name

In the Domain name field, enter the domain you want to run through the proxy.

Example:

yourdomain.com

If you also want to use www, you can add both:

yourdomain.com
www.yourdomain.com

Depending on the aaPanel interface, each domain may need to be entered on a separate line.

4. Configure Target

In the Target section, select the type:

URL address

Then enter the backend application address.

Example:

http://127.0.0.1:3000

Meaning:

yourdomain.com  →  aaPanel/Nginx  →  http://127.0.0.1:3000

When users access the domain, aaPanel will forward the request to the app running on port 3000.

Some common Target examples:

http://127.0.0.1:3000
http://127.0.0.1:4099
http://localhost:8000
http://192.168.1.10:8080

5. Configure Send Host

In the Send Host section, you should keep the default value:

$http_host

This value helps aaPanel send the correct original host/domain to the backend.

For example, when a user accesses:

https://yourdomain.com

The backend will receive the host as:

yourdomain.com

This is very important for apps such as Next.js, Laravel, WordPress, API Gateway, or systems that need to identify the domain.

You should only change Send Host when you clearly understand which specific host the backend needs to receive.

6. Configure URL Rewrite

The URL Rewrite section is used to rewrite the path before proxying it to the backend.

Example:

/aaa  →  /bbb

If you do not need to rewrite URLs, you can leave it blank.

Normally, for a website/app running on the full domain, you do not need to configure this section.

7. Configure Remark

In the Remark field, you can enter a note for easier management.

Example:

yourdomain.com
Next.js app port 3000
Proxy frontend website

Then click:

Confirm

to create the Proxy Project.

8. Test the website after creating the Proxy

After creating it, try accessing:

http://yourdomain.com

If the configuration is correct, the website will display content from the app running at:

http://127.0.0.1:3000

If it does not work yet, you need to check:

curl http://127.0.0.1:3000

Check whether the app is running:

pm2 list

or:

netstat -tulpn | grep 3000

9. Enable SSL for the domain

After the Proxy Project works over HTTP, the next step is to enable SSL so the website runs over HTTPS.

In aaPanel, go to the site/proxy project management section and select the tab:

SSL

Then select:

Let's Encrypt

or if you already have a certificate, use:

Other certificate

10. Issue a Let's Encrypt certificate

In the SSL tab, aaPanel will display information such as:

Certificate brand: R13
Certificate domain(s): yourdomain.com, www.yourdomain.com
Expired: yyyy-mm-dd

If SSL has not been issued yet, click:

Apply SSL

or:

Renew SSL

if you want to renew the certificate.

After it is issued successfully, the status will show:

Deployed

At this point, the website can be accessed via:

https://yourdomain.com

11. Notes when issuing SSL

For Let's Encrypt to issue SSL successfully, make sure that:

The domain has been pointed to the correct server IP.

Ports 80 and 443 are open.

The website/proxy project already exists in aaPanel.

If you use Cloudflare, SSL/TLS should be set to:

Full

or:

Full (strict)

after SSL on the server is working properly.

If the orange Cloudflare proxy is enabled and SSL issuance fails, try switching DNS to:

DNS Only

then issue SSL again.

12. Complete configuration example

Assume you have a Next.js app running at:

http://127.0.0.1:3000

You want to access it using the domain:

yourdomain.com

Configure the Proxy Project as follows:

Then enable SSL in the SSL tab and issue a Let's Encrypt certificate.

Result:

https://yourdomain.com

will proxy to:

http://127.0.0.1:3000

13. Some common errors

502 Bad Gateway error

Common causes:

The backend is not running.

The port is incorrect.

The app only listens on localhost but the configuration is incorrect.

The firewall is blocking the internal port.

Check with:

curl http://127.0.0.1:3000

If this command fails, you need to restart the app first.

SSL cannot be issued

Common causes:

The domain has not been pointed to the correct IP.

Port 80 is blocked.

Cloudflare proxy causes verification errors.

The site/proxy project has not been created correctly.

You can check DNS with:

ping yourdomain.com

or:

nslookup yourdomain.com

Website redirects to the wrong domain

The cause may be an incorrect Send Host configuration.

You should keep:

$http_host

so the backend receives the correct domain that the user is accessing.

Website loads but CSS/JS is missing

This is usually caused by an incorrect app build base path, asset path, or rewrite configuration.

If you proxy the full domain, the URL Rewrite section should be left blank.

14. Conclusion

Proxy Project in aaPanel is a simple way to expose an internal application such as Node.js, Next.js, React, Laravel, API service, or CMS to the public using a real domain name.

The basic process includes:

Point DNS to the server
→ Create a Proxy Project
→ Enter the Domain name
→ Enter the backend Target
→ Keep Send Host as $http_host
→ Enable Let's Encrypt SSL
→ Access the website via HTTPS

With the correct configuration, you can run multiple websites/apps on the same server, with each app using its own domain and proxying to a different internal port.