Nginx Web Server Architecture

Introduction

Nginx (pronounced "engine x") is a popular open-source web server that is widely used to handle high-traffic websites. It was developed in 2004 by Igor Sysoev and has since become one of the most popular web servers in the world. Before understanding the web architecture of nginx you should be able to understand how a web server works. In a nutshell, a web server works by processing requests via HTTP(Hypertext transfer protocol) in order to display website content to users. Let's take a closer look at the architecture of Nginx and how it handles web traffic.

Nginx Architecture Overview

Nginx is designed to be a lightweight and efficient web server. It uses an event-driven architecture to handle multiple client connections simultaneously. This means that Nginx can handle thousands of concurrent connections without requiring a lot of system resources.

The basic architecture of Nginx consists of a master process and several worker processes. The master process is responsible for managing the worker processes and coordinating their activities. The worker processes, on the other hand, are responsible for handling client requests and serving content.

Nginx uses a modular architecture that allows it to be extended with additional functionality. Each module performs a specific task, such as serving static content or processing HTTP requests. Modules can be compiled into Nginx at compile time or loaded dynamically at runtime.

Request Processing in Nginx

When a client sends a request to an Nginx server, the request is first received by the master process. The master process then passes the request to one of the worker processes to handle. The worker process processes the request and sends the response back to the client.

Nginx uses an asynchronous event-driven architecture to handle client connections. This means that each worker process can handle multiple client connections simultaneously. When a client connection is established, Nginx assigns it to a worker process. The worker process then waits for an event, such as a new client request, to occur. When an event occurs, the worker process processes it and returns to waiting for the next event.

Load Balancing in Nginx

Nginx is often used as a load balancer to distribute traffic across multiple web servers. If you aren't familiar with the load-balancing concept I will refer you to my article here Load-balancer , where I will help you understand better the concept of load balancing. However in a nutshell when Nginx is used as a load balancer, it acts as an intermediary between the client and the web servers. Nginx receives the client request, selects an appropriate web server to handle the request, and forwards the request to the selected web server.

Nginx can use several load-balancing algorithms to distribute traffic across web servers. The most commonly used algorithms are round-robin and least connections. Round-robin load balancing distributes traffic evenly across web servers, while least connections load balancing distributes traffic to the web server with the fewest active connections.

In Conclusion

Nginx is a powerful and efficient web server that is widely used to handle high-traffic websites. Its event-driven architecture and modular design make it a versatile tool that can be customized to meet a wide range of web-serving needs. Nginx is also commonly used as a load balancer to distribute traffic across multiple web servers. With its many features and flexibility.

I hope this helps you in understanding Nginx is an essential tool for anyone building a scalable and high-performance web infrastructure, so that next time you can consider using it when building high-performance web infrastructure. I wrote this article in line with the learning and skills I am gaining in understanding web infrastructure at Holberton School under the ALX SE program. Below in the references section, I will be attaching some of the resources I used to understand this concept and I hope they help you too. In my next article, I will be guiding you through How to Install and Configure Nginx from Source on Linux.

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References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nginx

https://www.javatpoint.com/nginx-introduction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-8AISuZtN8&t=321s