Chapter 1, Downloading and Installing Nginx, guides you through the early setup stages of downloading and configuring your own build of the program.

Chapter 2, Basic Nginx Configuration, covers the essential aspects of the Nginx configuration structure and syntax.

Chapter 3, HTTP Configuration, takes you through the configuration of HTTP server components, enabling you to serve a simple static site.

Chapter 4, Module Configuration, provides an in-depth approach to the large variety of modules available with the standard Nginx package.

Chapter 5, PHP and Python with Nginx, is a comprehensive guide to setting up backend programs to serve dynamic content through Nginx.

Chapter 6, Apache and Nginx Together, describes how both server applications can cooperate on the same architecture to improve existing websites and services.

Chapter 7, From Apache to Nginx, provides key information for fully switching your server or web infrastructure from Apache to Nginx.

Chapter 8, Introducing Load Balancing and Optimization, provides useful leads for server administrators who manage sites under heavy loads.

Chapter 9, Case Studies, offers a practical approach to several real-life examples, including some of the most common tasks performed with Nginx.

Chapter 10, Troubleshooting, covers the most common issues encountered while setting up Nginx or during the production stages.

Although Nginx is available for Windows from version 0.7.52 onward, it is common knowledge that Linux- or BSD-based distributions are preferred to host production sites. During the various processes described in this book, we will assume that you are hosting your website on a Linux operating system, such as Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, or other well-known distributions.

By covering both the early setup stages and advanced topics, this book suits web administrators who are interested in solutions to optimize their infrastructure, whether you are looking into replacing your existing web server software or integrating a new tool to cooperate with applications that are already up-and-running. If you, your visitors, and your operating system have been disappointed by Apache, this book is exactly what you need.

In this book, you will find a number of text styles that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles and an explanation of their meaning.

Code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles are shown as follows: "Or if your system does not come with the service command:"

A block of code is set as follows:

include /file/path.conf;
include sites/*.conf;

When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the relevant lines or items are set in bold:

user nginx nginx;
master_process on;
worker_processes 4;
events {
  worker_connections 1024;
  use epoll;
}

Any command-line input or output is written as follows:

# cp /usr/local/nginx/conf/nginx.conf /home/user/backups/nginx.conf.bak

New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, for example, in menus or dialog boxes, appear in the text like this: "If these packages are already installed on your system, you will receive a message saying something like Nothing to do."

Feedback from our readers is always welcome. Let us know what you think about this book—what you liked or disliked. Reader feedback is important for us as it helps us develop titles that you will really get the most out of.

To send us general feedback, simply e-mail <[email protected]>, and mention the book's title in the subject of your message.

If there is a topic that you have expertise in and you are interested in either writing or contributing to a book, see our author guide at www.packtpub.com/authors.

Now that you are the proud owner of a Packt book, we have a number of things to help you to get the most from your purchase.