Before diving headfirst into Nginx installation, it's crucial to understand the environment your web server will operate within. While Nginx is known for its lightweight nature and efficiency, there are a few fundamental system requirements and prerequisites to be aware of. These will ensure a smooth setup and optimal performance right from the start.
Here's what you'll need to consider:
- Operating System: Nginx is highly portable and runs on a wide range of Unix-like operating systems. The most common and well-supported platforms include:
- Linux: Distributions like Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, RHEL, and Fedora are excellent choices. Nginx has robust support and is often pre-packaged in their repositories.
- FreeBSD: Another popular and robust Unix-like operating system where Nginx performs admirably.
- macOS: While often used for development, Nginx can also be installed and run on macOS.
- Windows: Nginx also provides a Windows binary, though its primary strength lies in Unix-like environments.
Recommendation: For production environments, a stable Linux distribution is generally recommended due to its maturity, wide community support, and extensive tooling.
- Hardware Resources: Nginx is famously resource-efficient. However, the exact requirements depend on the scale of your operation.
- CPU: Even a single-core CPU can suffice for basic setups. For high-traffic sites, more cores will improve concurrent connection handling.
- RAM: Nginx itself consumes very little memory. A few hundred megabytes should be plenty for the Nginx process alone. However, remember that your applications (e.g., PHP-FPM, Node.js) will also require RAM, so factor that in.