# Change a self-hosted discourse server from http to https
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/change-a-self-hosted-discourse-server-from-http-to-https/230393
**Category:** Self-hosting
**Created:** [June 18, 2022, 11:21pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/change-a-self-hosted-discourse-server-from-http-to-https/230393 "2022-06-18T23:21:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@alphonse23](https://meta.discourse.org/u/alphonse23)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2022, 11:21pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/change-a-self-hosted-discourse-server-from-http-to-https/230393/1 "2022-06-18T23:21:50Z")
Hey guys,
I have a self-hosted discourse server that I am hosting on an ec2 and I have it setup through a socket that proxies through nginx to set the domain name.
The issue I am having is that I can’t get the server to switch from `http` to `https` on emails.
Specifically for the activation email:
```plaintext
A new account was created for you at %{site_name}
Click the following link to choose a password for your new account:
%{base_url}/u/password-reset/%{email_token}
```
The `base_url` always gives the `http` version of the site, and not the `https` version, which causes an error when someone tries to use the activation email.
I thought that the setting for `base_url` would be in the `site_settings` table, so I looked and there is a row that looks like this:
```plaintext
id name data_type value created_at updated_at
18 vapid_base_url 1 http:// ***.***.com 2022-05-28 05:33:29.471814 2022-06-18 08:31:48.220973
```
but changing the `value` to `https://...` doesn’t fix the email problem.
I don’t know where the value is for `base_url`.
* * *
I also thought that maybe it was the `DISCOURSE_HOSTNAME` property in the `containers/app.yml` file, but I don’t think that is what it is. I tried changing that from a domain without the protocol, to one with it, but after a `./launcher rebuild app`, the whole discourse server goes down.
* * *
So I am asking, how do I get the site to use a `https` url in emails and not `http`. ?
---
### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2022, 11:27pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/change-a-self-hosted-discourse-server-from-http-to-https/230393/2 "2022-06-18T23:27:05Z")
See the force\_https site setting.
---
### Author:  [@alphonse23](https://meta.discourse.org/u/alphonse23)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2022, 11:29pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/change-a-self-hosted-discourse-server-from-http-to-https/230393/3 "2022-06-18T23:29:11Z")
okay that was it, @pfaffman thanks! You deserve a prize!
---
### Author:  [@system](https://meta.discourse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 18, 2022, 11:29pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/change-a-self-hosted-discourse-server-from-http-to-https/230393/4 "2022-07-18T23:29:49Z")
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