This section will provide answers to the main questions that one would ask about Nginx — how does it stand apart from the other servers? How does it compare to Apache? Whether you were using Apache before or considered it as a replacement for your current web server, why would you decide to adopt Nginx at the expense of the web server that empowers nearly half of the Internet websites worldwide?
With the reverse proxy configuration that was elaborated in the previous chapter, the presence or absence of specific features wasn't much of a problem. This is because Nginx would simply have to differentiate between static and dynamic content, and in consequence, serve static file requests and forward dynamic file requests to a backend server.
However, when you start to consider Nginx as a possible full replacement for your current web server, you better make sure of what's in the box. If your projected architecture requires specific components, the first thing you would...