What is NGINX?

Profile

NGINX is an open-source web server, reverse proxy, and load balancer used by high-traffic websites. It is commonly deployed in application architectures that use Kubernetes and cloud platforms. Following its acquisition by F5 in 2019, NGINX offers both open-source and commercial versions, with the latter providing enterprise features, support services, and additional security functionality.

Focus

NGINX is designed for high-performance application delivery using a lightweight, event-driven architecture. Originally developed to address the C10k problem - managing 10,000 concurrent connections - NGINX provides web serving, reverse proxying, and load balancing capabilities. Its modular architecture supports microservices and cloud-native deployments while maintaining compatibility across programming languages and platforms. As an open-source project with widespread adoption, NGINX allows developers and operators to implement web infrastructure without dependency on proprietary technologies.

Background

NGINX was originally developed by Igor Sysoev in 2002 to address the C10k problem: managing 10,000 simultaneous connections on a web server. Released as open source in 2004 under a BSD-like license, it quickly gained adoption for its performance, scalability, and low resource usage. The company was acquired by F5 in 2019 for $670 million, expanding NGINX's reach into security and enterprise-grade application delivery. Today, NGINX continues to serve as a widely-used component of web infrastructure in both open-source and commercial environments.

NGINX main features

• Multiple deployment roles: NGINX functions as a web server, reverse proxy, load balancer, or API gateway. Its modular architecture and lightweight design support deployments ranging from static websites to microservices-based applications in cloud environments.
• Asynchronous architecture: NGINX uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model that enables high concurrent connection handling with low memory usage. This design provides efficient performance under load without requiring complex configuration.
• Traffic management and monitoring: NGINX includes routing, rate limiting, caching, and health check capabilities. It provides metrics and logging that can integrate with monitoring tools like OpenTelemetry and Prometheus for application performance analysis.
• Security features: NGINX supports SSL/TLS termination and access controls. The commercial NGINX Plus version adds features such as Web Application Firewall (WAF), JWT authentication, and SSO integration.