Challenge 1: An Nginx Reverse Proxy for /api/ — Solution Walkthrough

The configuration:

  location /api/ {
      proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000/;
  }

Why this works:

The location /api/ block matches any incoming request whose path
starts with /api/. Inside it, proxy_pass tells Nginx to forward that
request to the backend application listening on 127.0.0.1:3000,
exactly the mechanism this chapter's own Nginx section describes.
Once the backend responds, Nginx relays that response back to the
original client, who only ever interacted with Nginx directly and has
no visibility into the backend running behind it on port 3000.

WHY THIS WORKS AS AN ANSWER
------------------------------
This exercise is a direct, hands-on application of this chapter's own
proxy_pass example to a new path and port, confirming the location +
proxy_pass pairing as the actual mechanism, not just a fixed example
tied to one specific path.