NGINX is a popular open-source web server and reverse proxy server. It’s designed to handle high traffic and concurrency efficiently. It can also serve as a load balancer, caching server, and media server.
NGINX provides several benefits over Apache HTTP Server:
Performance: NGINX uses an event-driven, non-blocking architecture, which makes it lighter and faster than Apache.
Scalability: NGINX can handle more simultaneous connections and is better suited for serving high-traffic websites.
Resource utilization: NGINX requires fewer resources than Apache, making it ideal for running on low-end hardware.
Reverse proxy support: NGINX includes built-in support for reverse proxying, which allows it to forward client requests to backend servers, making it a popular choice for load balancing.
NGINX works on port 80 by default, but it can be configured to listen on any port number.
Here are some additional unique points about NGINX:
Dynamic content generation: NGINX can be used to generate dynamic content, for example, by using its built-in scripting language called NGINX JavaScript or by using third-party modules.
Modular design: NGINX has a modular design, which makes it easy to add or remove features as needed. This allows administrators to customize their installations to meet specific requirements.
Secure by default: NGINX has several security features built-in, such as limiting the number of connections from a single IP address and blocking malicious requests using rules based on regular expressions.
Easy Configuration: NGINX configuration is straightforward and can be managed using simple text files, which makes it easy to set up and maintain even for non-experts.
Wide Adoption: NGINX has a large and active community of users and developers, which has led to its widespread adoption. It is estimated that NGINX powers 39% of the world’s busiest websites.
Load Balancing Algorithms: NGINX provides a range of load balancing algorithms, including round-robin, least-connected, IP hash, and more, allowing administrators to choose the algorithm that best meets their needs.
TCP and UDP Load Balancing: NGINX can also be used for load balancing of TCP and UDP traffic, making it a versatile solution for a variety of use cases.
To conclude, NGINX is a feature-rich, efficient, and highly scalable web server that is well-suited for a variety of use cases, from serving static content to handling high-traffic websites and complex application architectures