AWS Elastic Load Balancing
Managed load balancer service that automatically distributes incoming traffic across multiple targets to improve availability
NGINX
High‑performance web server, load balancer, and reverse proxy.
NGINX delivers fast HTTP serving, load balancing, reverse proxying, API gateway, and content caching with a modular, text‑based configuration and support for static or dynamic modules.
Overview
Overview
NGINX is a widely adopted web server that also functions as a load balancer, reverse proxy, API gateway, and content cache. Its architecture separates a master process from multiple worker processes, allowing efficient use of CPU cores and shared memory for features like rate limiting.
Deployment
The software is distributed as stable and mainline binary packages for Linux, FreeBSD, and a proof‑of‑concept Windows build. Users can install official packages via native package managers or compile from source, optionally adding static or dynamic modules such as the popular njs JavaScript module. Configuration is performed through plain‑text directive files, giving fine‑grained control over SSL termination, caching policies, and load‑balancing algorithms.
Extensibility
Modules extend core functionality and can be built into the binary or loaded at runtime. Dynamic modules enable post‑install feature expansion without recompiling, while static modules provide tighter integration for performance‑critical deployments.
Highlights
High‑performance HTTP serving and reverse proxying
Built‑in load balancing and rate‑limiting capabilities
Modular architecture with static and dynamic modules
Cross‑platform binaries (Linux, FreeBSD, limited Windows)
Pros
- Proven scalability for high‑traffic sites
- Extensive documentation and active community
- Flexible, text‑based configuration
- Separate stable and mainline release streams
Considerations
- Windows support remains proof‑of‑concept only
- Configuration syntax can be steep for beginners
- Dynamic module management adds extra steps
- No native graphical management interface
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Fit guide
Great for
- High‑traffic web applications requiring fast static content delivery
- Microservice architectures needing reliable load balancing
- API services that benefit from rate limiting and request routing
- Edge caching scenarios to reduce latency and bandwidth
Not ideal when
- Production environments that must run on Windows
- Teams that require an out‑of‑the‑box GUI dashboard
- Simple sites where a minimal server would suffice
- Users unwilling to manage text‑based configuration files
How teams use it
Static website hosting with edge caching
Reduced latency and bandwidth usage through on‑disk and memory caching.
Load balancing for containerized microservices
Even traffic distribution and health‑check monitoring across service instances.
API gateway with rate limiting
Protection of backend APIs from abuse while maintaining high throughput.
SSL/TLS termination for secure traffic
Offloaded encryption handling, simplifying certificate management for upstream services.
Tech snapshot
C98%
Vim Script2%
XS1%
Perl1%
Makefile1%
Shell1%
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between stable and mainline releases?
Stable releases contain only critical fixes, while mainline releases include the latest features and bug fixes.
Can NGINX be used on Windows in production?
The Windows build is a proof‑of‑concept and is recommended only for development or testing.
How do I view which modules are compiled into my binary?
Run `nginx -V` to list static modules and build options.
What licensing does NGINX use?
NGINX is released under a simplified 2‑clause BSD‑like license.
Are dynamic modules required to be built from source?
No, official dynamic modules can be installed from the same package repository as the core binaries.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 29,146
- Watchers
- 29,146
- Forks
- 7,729
LicenseBSD-2-Clause
Repo age10 years old
Last commit5 days ago
Primary languageC
Last synced 4 hours ago