Learn Nginx

Master Nginx - the modern web server and load balancer used in production DevOps environments

Getting Started

Welcome to Nginx

What is Nginx and Why It Matters

Introduction to Nginx

Chapter I: Installation & Basic Setup

Installing Nginx on Linux

Starting, Stopping, and Managing Nginx Service

Understanding Nginx Configuration Files

Directory Structure and Best Practices

Chapter II: Core Configuration & Virtual Hosts

Nginx Configuration Fundamentals

Server Blocks and Virtual Hosts

Root and Alias Directives

Index Files and Try Files

Location Blocks and Pattern Matching

Chapter III: Reverse Proxy & Load Balancing

Understanding Reverse Proxy

Configuring Nginx as a Reverse Proxy

Upstream Blocks and Backend Servers

Load Balancing Algorithms

Round Robin, Least Connections, IP Hash

Health Checks and Failover

Proxy Headers and Pass Through

Chapter IV: SSL/TLS & Security

Understanding SSL and HTTPS

Setting Up Self-Signed Certificates

Integrating Let's Encrypt with Certbot

Nginx SSL Configuration Best Practices

HTTP to HTTPS Redirection

HSTS and Security Headers

SSL/TLS Termination

Chapter V: Performance Optimization

Gzip Compression

Brotli Compression

Browser Caching Strategies

Open File Cache

Worker Processes and Connections

Buffer Optimization

Timeouts and Keep-Alive

Chapter VI: Advanced Topics

Rate Limiting and Traffic Control

Nginx Modules and Extensions

URL Rewriting and Redirects

Authentication and Access Control

Nginx as an API Gateway

Stream Module for TCP/UDP

Chapter VII: Docker & Kubernetes

Dockerizing Nginx Applications

Building Custom Nginx Docker Images

Nginx Deployment on Kubernetes

Nginx ConfigMaps and Secrets in K8s

Ingress Controller with Nginx

Chapter VIII: Monitoring & Troubleshooting

Nginx Logs and Log Analysis

Monitoring with Prometheus and Grafana

Common Nginx Errors and Fixes

Performance Benchmarking

Debugging Nginx Configuration

Chapter IX: Real-World Projects

Multi-Site Hosting Setup

Load Balancing Multiple Backend Services

Static File Serving with Caching

Microservices Routing with Nginx

High-Availability Setup with Failover

Appendix

Common Configuration Examples

Nginx Directives Reference

Best Practices Checklist

Resources and Further Learning

© 2026 Vijay Rajendran