Comprehensive Nginx Configuration Guide: HTTP Server, Static Resources, Reverse Proxy, Load Balancing and Advanced Directives

In the first part, the article explains how to use Nginx as a simple HTTP server for static resources. It shows creating a Docroot(/usr/local/var/www) directory, placing test.html, and configuring nginx.conf with a basic server block that listens on port 80 and serves files from the root path.

Next, it demonstrates static‑file handling by creating images and img directories under the document root and configuring location blocks. The example uses a custom variable $doc_root and shows how to map requests like http://localhost/test.jpg to the appropriate directory using location /images/ and regular‑expression locations.

The reverse‑proxy section introduces the proxy_pass directive. A sample configuration forwards all requests received on port 80 to a backend Java application running on localhost:8081, while preserving the original Host header and forwarding the client IP via X-Forwarded-For.

Load‑balancing is covered in detail, presenting five strategies supported by Nginx: round‑robin (default), weighted round‑robin, ip_hash, fair (third‑party), and url_hash (third‑party). Example upstream blocks illustrate how to define multiple backend servers and select a strategy, including backup servers and weight assignments.

The article then explains static‑dynamic separation (动静分离) by combining proxying for dynamic requests with direct file serving for static assets. It shows a combined configuration that uses proxy_pass for the root location and a regular‑expression location to serve cached images, CSS, JS, etc.

Finally, several useful Nginx directives are introduced: return for status‑code redirects, rewrite for URI rewriting, error_page for custom error handling, logging configuration with log_format and access_log, deny for access restriction, and a list of built‑in variables (e.g., $args, $remote_addr, $request_uri) that can be used throughout the configuration.