Cannot Serve Backend Uploads Folder via OpenLiteSpeed Reverse Proxy – Getting 404

[kanzajamil]

Hi everyone, I’m a newbie trying to figure this out.


I’m using OpenLiteSpeed as a reverse proxy for my setup:

• Frontend: React app served via OpenLiteSpeed
• Backend: Node.js/Express app running separately (Invoice Backend). In Server Configuration, I added an External App with address localhost:5000.
• Uploaded files: Stored in the backend’s /uploads/ folder
• Express static setup:

app.use("/uploads", express.static(path.join(process.cwd(), "uploads")));

• On localhost, accessing files via http://localhost:5000/uploads/filename.jpeg works fine.

What I want:
Make files from /uploads/ accessible publicly so I can display them in my frontend, e.g., https://mydomain.com/uploads/filename.jpeg.

What I tried:

1. Proxy context for API:
   • URI: /api/ → Web Server: Invoice Backend (Node.js)
   • Works fine for API requests.
2. Proxy context for uploads:
   • URI: /uploads/ → Web Server: Invoice Backend (Node.js)
   • Tried accessing https://mydomain.com/uploads/filename.jpeg → Still getting 404 Not Found
3. Static context attempt:
   • Tried creating a static context pointing directly to the backend /uploads/ folder.
   • Virtual host root is set to the frontend build folder.

Issue:
Even though the file exists on the backend and is accessible via localhost:5000/uploads/filename.jpeg, OpenLiteSpeed is not serving it through the /uploads/ proxy context or the static context. Permissions are fine.


Question:
Has anyone successfully served a backend /uploads/ folder through OpenLiteSpeed as a reverse proxy while keeping API routes working? Am I missing some configuration? How can I make these files publicly accessible without getting 404?