Mastering Nginx: A Beginner's Guide to High-Performance Web Servers

Introduction to Nginx: The High-Performance Web Server

An overview of what Nginx is, its architecture, and why it's a popular choice for modern web applications. We'll cover its event-driven, asynchronous nature and contrast it with traditional web servers.

Getting Started: Installation and Basic Configuration

Step-by-step guide to installing Nginx on various operating systems. This chapter will walk you through the initial configuration files and the essential directives for running your first website.

Serving Static Content: Your First Website

Learn how to configure Nginx to efficiently serve static files like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. We'll cover root directories, index files, and basic file permissions.

Reverse Proxying and Load Balancing

Explore Nginx's powerful capabilities as a reverse proxy to forward requests to backend application servers. We'll delve into load balancing strategies for distributing traffic and improving application availability.

SSL/TLS Encryption: Securing Your Website

Implement HTTPS for secure communication. This chapter covers obtaining SSL certificates, configuring Nginx for SSL/TLS, and best practices for encryption.

Caching for Performance

Optimize your website's speed by leveraging Nginx's caching mechanisms. We'll discuss browser caching, proxy caching, and how to fine-tune cache settings.

Logging and Monitoring Nginx

Understand how to configure Nginx access and error logs. We'll cover analyzing logs for troubleshooting and setting up basic monitoring to track server performance.

Advanced Configuration and Best Practices

Dive into more advanced Nginx features like rewrite rules, Gzip compression, HTTP/2, and common security configurations. We'll also share essential best practices for maintainable and efficient Nginx deployments.