The true power of Nginx lies within its modules. The entire application is built on a modular system, and each module can be enabled or disabled at compile time. Some bring up simple functionalities, such as the autoindex module that generates a listing of the files in a directory. Some will transform your perception of a web server (such as the Rewrite module). Developers are also invited to create their own modules. A quick overview of the third-party module system can be found at the end of this chapter.
This chapter covers:
- The Rewrite module, which does more than just rewrite URIs
- The SSI module, a server-side scripting language
- Additional modules enabled in the default Nginx build
- Optional modules that must be enabled at compile time
- A quick note on third-party modules