Nginx
Nginx (pronounced "engine-x") is a high-performance web server, reverse proxy server, and load balancer. Originally created by Igor Sysoev in 2002, it has become one of the most popular web servers in the world, known for its stability, rich feature set, simple configuration, and low resource consumption.
Key Features
Event-driven, asynchronous architecture that can handle thousands of concurrent connections with minimal memory usage.
Excellent reverse proxy capabilities with load balancing, SSL termination, and caching support.
Multiple load balancing algorithms including round-robin, least connections, IP hash, and weighted distribution.
Built-in SSL/TLS termination with support for SNI, OCSP stapling, and HTTP/2.
Use Cases
- Web Server: Serving static content and dynamic applications
- Reverse Proxy: Routing requests to backend servers
- Load Balancer: Distributing traffic across multiple servers
- API Gateway: Managing and routing API requests
- Content Caching: Accelerating web applications with caching
Configuration Example
A basic Nginx configuration for reverse proxy:
server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com;
location / {
proxy_pass http://backend;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
}
}Advantages
- Lightweight and resource-efficient
- Excellent performance under high load
- Simple and intuitive configuration syntax
- Extensive documentation and community support
- Wide platform support (Linux, Windows, macOS, BSD)
Official Resources
- Website: nginx.org
- Documentation: nginx.org/en/docs/
- GitHub: github.com/nginx/nginx