What is Nginx? Have you worked with it?

Brief Answer

• Nginx is a high‑performance web server and reverse proxy: static serving, backend proxying, load balancing, TLS/SSL termination, caching, compression.
• Fits SPA and API: static via root, backend via proxy_pass, HTTPS with Let’s Encrypt, HTTP/2, gzip/Brotli.
• Experience: reverse‑proxy for Node.js, static caching, headers, rate‑limiting, zero‑downtime reloads.

Full Answer

Core roles

• Web server: serves static assets.
• Reverse proxy: forwards requests to backends.
• Load balancer: distributes traffic across apps.
• TLS/SSL termination: encrypts traffic.
• Cache/compression: faster responses, less bandwidth.

Mini config (static + proxy)

server {
  listen 80;
  server_name example.com;
  root /var/www/html;
 
  location /api/ {
    proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
    proxy_set_header Host $host;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $remote_addr;
  }
}

HTTPS and HTTP/2

server {
  listen 443 ssl http2;
  server_name example.com;
  ssl_certificate     /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem;
  ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem;
}

Cache and compression

gzip on;
gzip_types text/css application/javascript application/json;
expires 1y;
add_header Cache-Control "public, immutable";

Common pitfalls

• Missing Host and X-Forwarded-For headers in proxy.
• Incorrect location patterns and proxy_pass slashes.
• Enabling HTTP/2 only on 443.
• No cache policy or compression for static.

Recommendations

• Validate config (nginx -t) and perform atomic reloads.
• Split configuration files; enforce consistent cache/security policies.
• Use rate‑limiting to protect against bursts.