Why Nginx Is the Go‑to Choice for High‑Performance Web and Proxy Services

Why Choose Nginx

Nginx is a high‑performance web and reverse‑proxy server that offers several superior features compared with other servers.

It can handle up to 50,000 concurrent connections, making it a strong alternative to Apache for high‑traffic sites.

It serves as a load‑balancing server and can directly support Rails and PHP applications or act as an HTTP proxy.

It also functions as an excellent mail proxy server, with successful real‑world usage examples such as Last.fm.

Installation is straightforward, configuration files are concise, bugs are rare, and Nginx can run 24/7 without needing restarts; upgrades can be performed without service interruption.

Major Chinese web sites using Nginx include Sina, NetEase, Tencent, and the micro‑blogging platform Plurk.

For developers facing web‑service performance and high‑concurrency challenges, Nginx serves as a versatile solution.

Content Overview (Partial)

Web Service Basics

Nginx Fundamentals

Detailed Core Configuration

Advanced Configuration

Rewrite Functions

Reverse Proxy Features

System Parameter Optimization

LNMP Project – WordPress Deployment

Nginx Architecture

Nginx follows a multi‑process model consisting of a master process and multiple worker processes.

Master Process Functions

Read and validate configuration files.

Create, bind, and close socket connections.

Manage worker processes (start, stop, restart).

Accept external commands such as restart, upgrade, or shutdown.

Perform seamless upgrades without interrupting service.

Open log files and obtain file descriptors.

Handle upgrade failures with rollback.

Compile and execute Perl scripts.

Worker Process Functions

Accept and process client requests.

Dispatch requests to appropriate modules.

Perform I/O operations to retrieve response data.

Communicate with backend servers and receive processing results.

Cache data and query cache indices.

Send response results back to clients.

Receive commands from the master process (e.g., restart, upgrade, exit).

Core Configuration Details

Virtual hosts based on different IPs, ports, or domain names rely on the ngx_http_core_module.

Creating a Mobile Web Site

Location Directive Usage

Four‑Layer Access Control

Access control is implemented via the ngx_http_access_module, allowing IP‑based request restrictions.

File Existence Check

The try_files directive checks files in order and returns the first existing file or directory; if none are found, an internal redirect to the last parameter occurs.

Advanced Configuration – HTTPS

HTTPS encrypts data using SSL/TLS on top of HTTP, protecting sensitive information for high‑security services such as banking and email.

Reverse Proxy

A reverse proxy forwards external client requests to internal web servers and returns the responses to the client.

Production Deployment Structure

File Display Examples