Nginx is a lightweight HTTP server designed for high-traffic websites, with network scalability as primary objective. With the advent of high-speed Internet access, short loading times and fast transfer rates have become a necessity. This free open-source solution will either serve as full replacement of other software such as Apache, or stand in front of your existing infrastructure to improve its overall speed. However, migrating to Nginx requires some guidance.

This book serves as a detailed guide to setting up Nginx in different production situations: as standalone server, as reverse proxy, interacting with applications via FastCGI, and more. In addition, the complete directive reference will be your best friend at all stages of the configuration and maintenance processes

This book is the perfect companion for both Nginx beginners and experienced administrators. For the former, it will take you through the complete process of setting up this lightweight HTTP server on your system and configuring its various modules to get it to do exactly what you need, in a fast and secure way. For the latter, it provides different angles of approach that can help you make the most of your current infrastructure. As the book progresses, it provides a complete reference to all the modules and directives of Nginx. It will explain how to replace your existing server with Nginx or configure Nginx to work as a frontend for your existing server.

By the end of this book, you will be geared up to implement Nginx as a web server that will boost the speed of all your web applications.

A handy guide to setting up Nginx as a standalone web server or as a reverse proxy, with complete directive and module references

What you will learn from this book

• Download and build Nginx from source along with its dependencies
• Learn the basics of Nginx configuration: syntax, structure, and semantics
• Create virtual host configurations effortlessly
• Discover how to enable, configure, and use all first-party modules
• Establish advanced rewrite rules with the Nginx Rewrite module
• Set up Nginx to work with PHP, Python, and more via FastCGI
• Configure Nginx to work as frontend for your existing HTTP server
• Complete the process of replacing Apache by Nginx
• Follow three practical examples on how to port your Apache rewrite rules
• Find your way through the configuration with the complete detailed directive reference
• Troubleshooting: know where to start looking if something goes wrong

Approach

The book includes detailed instructions for each of the processes it describes: downloading and installing the application, configuring and using modules, and much more. It provides a step-by-step tutorial to replace your existing web server with Nginx. With commented configuration sections and in-depth module descriptions, you will be able to make the most of the performance potential offered by Nginx.

Who this book is written for

By covering both early setup stages and advanced topics, this book will suit web administrators interested in solutions to optimize their infrastructure, whether they are looking into replacing existing web server software or integrating a new tool cooperating with applications already up and running. If you, your visitors, and your operating system have been disappointed by Apache, this book is exactly what you need.