Nginx for Beginners: A Simple Guide to Get Started

In this guide, we'll discuss and try to understand what NGINX does, how we can use it, and how you can install and configure it for your projects.

What is NGINX?

NGINX (pronounced "engine-x") is a high-performance web server, reverse proxy, and load balancer. Originally created by Igor Sysoev in 2004, it's now one of the most popular web servers in the world.

Why Use NGINX?

High Performance: Handles thousands of concurrent connections efficiently
Low Memory Footprint: Uses less memory than traditional servers
Reverse Proxy: Route traffic to different backend servers
Load Balancing: Distribute traffic across multiple servers
SSL/TLS Termination: Handle HTTPS encryption
Static File Serving: Serve static assets blazingly fast

Installing NGINX

On Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx

On macOS (using Homebrew)

brew install nginx

Verify Installation

nginx -v

Basic Commands

# Start NGINX
sudo systemctl start nginx
 
# Stop NGINX
sudo systemctl stop nginx
 
# Restart NGINX
sudo systemctl restart nginx
 
# Reload configuration without downtime
sudo systemctl reload nginx
 
# Check configuration syntax
sudo nginx -t

Understanding the Configuration

NGINX configuration files are typically located at /etc/nginx/nginx.conf on Linux.

Basic Structure

# Main context
worker_processes auto;
 
events {
    worker_connections 1024;
}
 
http {
    # HTTP context
 
    server {
        # Server context (virtual host)
        listen 80;
        server_name example.com;
 
        location / {
            # Location context
            root /var/www/html;
            index index.html;
        }
    }
}

Common Use Cases

1. Serving Static Files

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name mysite.com;
 
    root /var/www/mysite;
    index index.html;
 
    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
    }
}

2. Reverse Proxy

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name api.mysite.com;
 
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }
}

3. Load Balancing

upstream backend {
    server 127.0.0.1:3001;
    server 127.0.0.1:3002;
    server 127.0.0.1:3003;
}
 
server {
    listen 80;
 
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://backend;
    }
}

4. SSL/HTTPS Configuration

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name mysite.com;
 
    ssl_certificate /etc/ssl/certs/mysite.crt;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/ssl/private/mysite.key;
 
    location / {
        root /var/www/mysite;
    }
}
 
# Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name mysite.com;
    return 301 https://$server_name$request_uri;
}

Best Practices

Always test configuration before reloading: nginx -t
Use separate config files for each site in /etc/nginx/sites-available/
Enable gzip compression for better performance
Set up proper logging for debugging
Implement rate limiting for security

Useful Tips

Enable Gzip

gzip on;
gzip_types text/plain text/css application/json application/javascript;
gzip_min_length 1000;

Add Security Headers

add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN" always;
add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" always;
add_header X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block" always;

Conclusion

NGINX is an incredibly powerful and flexible web server. This guide covers the basics, but there's much more to explore:

Caching strategies
WebSocket proxying
Advanced load balancing algorithms
Rate limiting and security

Start with simple configurations and gradually add complexity as you become more comfortable. Happy serving!