nginx: 302 the "/" path to "/cgi-bin/luci/"

[VergilGao]

This change will prevent the blank
"LuCI - Lua Configuration Interface" screen
from being displayed for the first time
when accessing luci via a url like 192.168.1.1

Maintainer: @Ansuel
Compile tested: (x86/64, 24.10.0-rc4, Edge)
Run tested: (x86/64, 24.10.0-rc4, Edge)

Description:

When using nginx instead of uhttpd, accessing the root url such as "192.168.1.1" or "my-router.lan" will display a blank page and then jump to the luci page like this.

Just add the following lines to luci.locations:

location =/ {
  return 302 /cgi-bin/luci/;  // Use 302 to avoid permanent redirect caching by browsers
}

by this way, the blank page will no longer be displayed, and nginx can handle the redirect by itself.
Because it is a 301 response, the browser will automatically jump to /cgi-bin/luci/ the next time you visit.
Because it is a 302 response, the browser will automatically jump to /cgi-bin/luci/ the next time you visit. Use 302 to prevent browsers from caching the redirect permanently.

If you still see a blank page when accessing the root url after applying this patch, you need to open the browser console page when accessing, find the Network tab, check Disable Cache, and then access the root url

[Neustradamus]

@Ansuel: Have you seen this PR?

[Rondom]

Wouldn't a permanent redirect be cached in the browser creating issues when accessing a device not running Luci under the same IP/URL later?

[VergilGao]

Yes, using a 301 would cause the browser to cache the redirect permanently. It might be better to use a 302 instead to avoid potential issues later.

[VergilGao]

I've updated this PR to resolve merge conflicts and reflect the latest changes from master. Please take another look when you have time!

[GeorgeSapkin]

You should probably bump the PKG_RELEASE.

[openwrt]

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Package Release Audit:

• ⚠️ Package net/nginx content changed without a PKG_RELEASE or version bump

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Running version ca525cc deployed on 2026-07-04 22:49:00 CEST}