# Types of NGINX Directives

Here are the different types of NGINX directives:

* **Global directives** are instructions that apply to the entire NGINX configuration. For example, the `worker_processes` directive specifies the number of worker processes that NGINX will create.
    

```nginx
worker_processes 2;
```

* **HTTP directives** are instructions that apply to the HTTP protocol. For example, the `gzip` directive enables gzip compression for HTTP responses.
    

```nginx
gzip on;
```

* **Server directives** are instructions that apply to a specific server block. A server block is a configuration that defines a virtual host. For example, the `listen` directive specifies the port that a server block will listen on.
    

```nginx
server {
  listen 80;
}
```

* **Location directives** are instructions that apply to a specific location within a server block. A location is a path that NGINX will match against the requested URI. For example, the `root` directive specifies the directory that NGINX will serve static files from.
    

```nginx
server {
  listen 80;

  location / {
    root /var/www/html;
  }
}
```

Here is an example of a complete NGINX configuration:

```nginx
worker_processes 2;

http {
  gzip on;

  server {
    listen 80;

    location / {
      root /var/www/html;
    }
  }
}
```

This configuration will create a web server that listens on port 80 and serves static files from the `/var/www/html` directory.

Here are some additional examples of NGINX directives:

* **Error directives** are instructions that control how NGINX handles errors. For example, the `error_log` directive specifies the file that NGINX will write error messages to.
    
* **Logging directives** are instructions that control how NGINX logs requests and responses. For example, the `access_log` directive specifies the file that NGINX will write access logs to.
    
* **Timeout directives** are instructions that specify how long NGINX will wait for a client to send a request or for a server to send a response. For example, the `client_max_body_size` directive specifies the maximum size of a client request body.
    

## Array, action, and normal directives

* **Array directives** are directives that can take multiple values. For example, the `access_log` directive can take multiple values, one for each log file that NGINX should write to.
    

```nginx
access_log logs/access.log main;
access_log logs/error.log error;
```

In this example, NGINX will write access logs to both the `logs/access.log` and `logs/error.log` files.

* **Action directives** are directives that do not take any values. For example, the `rewrite` directive does not take any values. The `rewrite` directive tells NGINX to rewrite the requested URI before sending the request to the backend server.
    

```nginx
rewrite ^/old-url$ /new-url permanent;
```

In this example, NGINX will rewrite requests for the `/old-url` URI to the `/new-url` URI.

* **Normal directives** are directives that take one value. For example, the `root` directive takes one value, which is the directory that NGINX should serve static files from.
    

```nginx
root /var/www/html;
```

In this example, NGINX will serve static files from the `/var/www/html` directory.

Here is a table that summarizes the different types of directives in NGINX:

| Type | Description | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Array directive | Can take multiple values | `access_log logs/access.log main;` |
| Action directive | Does not take any values | `rewrite ^/old-url$ /new-url permanent;` |
| Normal directive | Takes one value | `root /var/www/html;` |

For more information on NGINX directives, please refer to the NGINX documentation: [http://nginx.org/en/docs/dirindex.html](http://nginx.org/en/docs/dirindex.html).

I hope this explanation of the types of directives in NGINX is helpful. Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions.