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Nginx - Web Server and Reverse Proxy | Complete Guide

Nginx is a versatile web server capable of handling complex tasks like reverse proxying, load balancing, and caching, making it a powerful tool for modern web applications.

mysimulator teamUpdated June 2026≈ 3 min read▶ Open the simulation

Nginx - Web Server and Reverse Proxy

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of Nginx configuration and optimization.

Nginx is a powerful, high-performance web server, reverse proxy, load balancer, and HTTP cache. Its event-driven, asynchronous architecture allows it to handle thousands of concurrent connections with minimal resource usage.

default_type application/octetstream;

log_format main '$remote_addr - $remote_user [$time_local] '

'"$request" $status $body_bytes_sent '

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# Round-robin (by default)

server backend1.example.com:3000;

server backend2.example.com:3000;

Frequently asked questions

What does the directive `proxy_cache_valid 200 60m;` do?

proxy_cache_valid 200 60m;

What does the directive `proxy_cache_valid 404 1m;` do?

proxy_cache_valid 404 1m;

What does the directive `proxy_cache_use_stale error timeout updating;` do?

proxy_cache_use_stale error timeout updating;

What does the directive `proxy_cache_background_update on;` do?

proxy_cache_background_update on;

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