1) Nginx is a popular and productive open source HTTP and reverse proxy server that can serve as a front end server. 2) As a front end server, nginx processes requests for static resources, proxies requests to dynamic applications in the back end, and can perform tasks like compression, caching, uploading/downloading, and image processing. 3) The document provides examples of basic nginx configuration for serving static files, proxying requests to backends, setting up virtual hosts, compressing responses, and generating thumbnails.

1. Front end servers and
nginx
What, when and how?

2. Simple web application
Basic configuration:
•Tomcat, Resin, JBoss, Apache Http + php, ...
•MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, ...
Enough?

3. What does your server?
General list:
•Process requests to static resource (css, images, etc)
•Process request to dynamic part (servlet).
•Exchange with database.
•Process schedulers, quartz, etc
•Generate reports, calculate statistic...
One day he may say: "enough!". Be ready!

4. Why sites are dying?
Few problems:
•Weak hardware
•Weak client connection channel
•Lots of requests to static resource (especially images
and video)
•High loads

5. Front end
Front end is an interface between the user and back
end.
Most popular servers to front end role:
•nginx
•lighthttpd
•apache httpd
•...

6. Nginx
Popular and productive
Nginx - is a HTTP and reverse proxy server, as well as
mail proxy server, written by Igor Sysoev.
According to Netcraft nginx served or proxied 12.49%
busiest sites in July 2012.

7. Who are using nginx?
They are:
•Rambler
•Yandex
•Mail.ru
•vk

8. Features and figures
• 100 000 connection per server
• 60 000 requests per second
• 2.5 Mb per 10 000 keep-alive
connections
• No threads

9. Features and figures

10. What will nginx do?
General function of nginx or
another front end server:
•Static content
•Reserve proxying with caching
•Compression response
•Prepared thumbnails for images
•Uploading, downloading, streaming, ...

11. Let's start with nginx
Simple configuration
worker_processes 4;
events {
worker_connections 4096;
}

12. Virtual hosts
server {
listen 80 default;
server_name www.domain.com;
root /home/domain.com
location / {
proxy_pass http://localhost:8080;
proxy_redirect off;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
}
}

13. Other virtual hosts
As much as you need:
server {
listen 80;
server_name img.domain.com;
index index.php;
root /home/domain.com/img;
}

14. Compressing
gzip on;
gzip_min_length 1000;
gzip_proxied any;
gzip_types text/plain application/xml text/javascript text/css text/json;
gzip_disable "msie6";
gzip_comp_level 4;

15. Thumbnails, proxy to resize
#Image resize location
location ~ ^/preview/(?P<oper>[abc])/(?P<remn>.+) {
root $path/cache;
error_page 404 = @fetch;
}
location @fetch {
root $path/cache;
proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:81/$oper/$remn;
proxy_store on;
}

16. Thumbnails, resize
location ~ ^/s/(.+) {
image_filter_buffer 6M;
alias $path/static/$1;
try_files "" @404;
image_filter crop 80 80;
}
location ~ ^/c/[^/]+/(d+|-)x(d+|-)/(.+) {
set $width $1;
set $height $2;
alias $path/static/$3;
try_files "" @404;
if ($secure_link = "") { return 404; }
image_filter crop $width $height;
}

17. Secured link
location ~ ^/int/(.*)$ {
alias $path/$1;
internal;
}
@RequestMapping("/secret/**")
@PreAuthorize("hasRole('ROLE_ADMIN')")
public void checkAccess(HttpServletRequest request,
HttpServletResponse response) {
String img = request.getServletPath();
String path = "/int/" + img;
response.setHeader("X-Accel-Redirect", path);
}

18. Secured link
location ~ ^/int/(.*)$ {
alias $path/$1;
internal;
}
@RequestMapping("/secret/**")
@PreAuthorize("hasRole('ROLE_ADMIN')")
public void checkAccess(HttpServletRequest request,
HttpServletResponse response) {
String img = request.getServletPath();
String path = "/int/" + img;
response.setHeader("X-Accel-Redirect", path);
}

19. Uploading
location /upload {
upload_pass @backend;
upload_store /location;
client_max_body_size 15m;
upload_max_file_size 4m;
# Set specified fields in request body
upload_set_form_field $upload_field_name.content_type "$upload_content_type";
upload_set_form_field $upload_field_name.path "$upload_tmp_path";
upload_cleanup 400 403 404 405 499 500-505;
}
location @backend {
proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8080;
}