Apache operates in "prefork mode," employing a predetermined quantity of processes, each dedicated to handling one request at a time, whether static or dynamic.
In contrast, NGINX takes an asynchronous approach toward requests. A single NGINX process can effectively handle numerous concurrent requests, limited only by the available system resources.
Unlike Apache, NGINX does not integrate server-side languages directly into its processes. Instead, NGINX forwards these requests to an external process, such as PHP FPM, for server-side processing.
NGINX excels at delivering static files rapidly, with the server-side processes remaining oblivious to this operation. Conversely, Apache handles all resources with server-side overhead, leading to a greater consumption of server resources compared to NGINX.
Performance
NGINX: Swift Handling of Static Resources
NGINX: Support for Higher Concurrent Requests - Capable of managing thousands of requests on a single thread.
Apache: Serves requests up to a pre-configured limit, rejecting any exceeding requests.
NGINX wins!
Configuration
- NGINX prioritizes URI locations, while Apache favors file system locations as a primary consideration.
About the author
I am a DevOps Consultant. 3 years experience with Cloud technologies. 9 years total IT experience in the Linux, Networking and Data Visualization domains. Love listening to music and playing older PC games.
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Configuring NGINX
In this basic level series, I will post best practices to configure the NGINX web server using Linux based instances.
