Nguyễn Khánk's Wiki

# Nginx

Nginx is a high-performance web server and reverse proxy that can also function as a load balancer, mail proxy, and HTTP cache. It's renowned for its efficiency, reliability, and scalability, making it a popular choice for handling heavy traffic websites and applications.

Benefits :

  • High Performance: Handles a large number of concurrent connections efficiently.
  • Low Resource Consumption: Requires minimal system resources.
  • Stability: Known for its reliability and uptime.
  • Flexibility: Can be configured for various use cases.
  • Open Source: Free to use and modify.

Common Use Cases

  • Serving static content for websites
  • Offloading SSL/TLS encryption from application servers
  • Load balancing between multiple web servers
  • Caching content to improve performance
  • Acting as a reverse proxy for web applications

Ref

Nginx popular

# Architecture

Nginx employs a sophisticated event-driven, asynchronous, and non-blocking architecture that sets it apart from traditional web servers. This design enables it to handle a massive number of concurrent connections efficiently

Nginx Architecture

# Core Components:

  • Master Process:
    • Handles configuration loading and reloading.
    • Manages worker processes.
    • Monitors worker processes for errors.
  • Worker Processes:
    • Handle client connections and requests.
    • Process requests asynchronously.
    • Can be optimized for different tasks (e.g., handling static content, processing dynamic requests).

# Nginx as an API Gateway

Nginx can effectively function as an API gateway. While it's primarily known as a high-performance web server and reverse proxy, its capabilities extend to API management.

# Key Features Making Nginx API Gateway

  • Reverse Proxy: Nginx excels at routing requests to multiple backend services, a core function of API gateways.
  • Load Balancing: It can distribute traffic across multiple instances of backend services, ensuring high availability and performance.
  • Caching: Nginx can cache API responses to improve performance and reduce load on backend services.
  • SSL/TLS Termination: It can handle encryption, offloading the task from backend servers.
  • Rate Limiting: Nginx can be configured to limit the number of requests per client or IP address.
  • Authentication and Authorization: While basic authentication can be implemented, for more complex scenarios, consider additional tools or modules.

# Limitations

  • Limited Advanced Features: Compared to dedicated API gateway solutions, Nginx might lack features like sophisticated service discovery, traffic management, and security policies.
  • Configuration Complexity: Implementing complex API gateway logic can require extensive Nginx configuration.

# Notes

# Redirect

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com;

    # Redirect from HTTP to HTTPS
    server_name example.com;
    return 301 https://$host$request_uri;

    # Redirect from www to non-www
    server_name www.example.com;
    return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;
}

# Install SSL

Prerequisites

  • An SSL/TLS certificate from a trusted Certificate Authority (CA). This typically includes:
    • The certificate file (.crt)
    • The intermediate certificate file (.ca-bundle or similar)
    • The private key file (.key)
  • Access to your Nginx configuration file (usually /etc/nginx/sites-available/your_domain).

Steps

  1. Obtain an SSL/TLS Certificate:
    • Purchase a certificate from a reputable CA.
    • Follow the CA's instructions to generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) and complete the validation process.
  2. Combine Certificate Files:
    • Create a single file named combined.crt containing your certificate and intermediate certificates: cat your_domain.crt intermediate.ca-bundle > combined.crt
  3. Configure Nginx:
    • Open your Nginx server block configuration file.
    • Add the following configuration within the server block:
server {

    listen   443;

    ssl    on;
    ssl_certificate    /etc/ssl/your_domain_name.pem; (or bundle.crt)
    ssl_certificate_key    /etc/ssl/your_domain_name.key;

    server_name your.domain.com;
    access_log /var/log/nginx/nginx.vhost.access.log;
    error_log /var/log/nginx/nginx.vhost.error.log;
    location / {
        root   /home/www/public_html/your.domain.com/public/;
        index  index.html;
    }
}
  1. Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
  2. Test and Reload Nginx:
    • Test the Nginx configuration for errors: sudo nginx -t
    • Reload: sudo systemctl reload nginx

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