Nginx

Nginx is a high-performance web server, reverse proxy, and load balancer used to serve web content and manage traffic.

What is Nginx?

Nginx (pronounced "engine-x") is an open-source, high-performance HTTP server, reverse proxy, and load balancer. Known for its stability, rich feature set, and low resource consumption, it handles massive concurrent connections efficiently.

Nginx Use Cases

Web Server: Serve static content efficiently
Reverse Proxy: Route requests to backend servers
Load Balancer: Distribute traffic across servers
API Gateway: Route and manage API traffic
SSL Termination: Handle HTTPS encryption

Nginx vs Apache

Nginx uses an event-driven architecture for high concurrency, while Apache uses process/thread-based handling. Nginx excels at static content and reverse proxying.

Common Misconceptions

"Nginx can't do dynamic content" - Works with PHP-FPM, proxies
"Apache is always better for dynamic" - Depends on configuration
"Nginx is hard to configure" - Simpler than many alternatives