NGINX: Understand and Deploy Layer 4/Layer 7 Load Balancing, WebSockets, HTTPS, HTTP/2, TLS 1.3 (With Docker)
What is NGINX?
NGINX is a powerful, versatile tool that serves multiple critical functions in modern web infrastructure:
Web Server
- Serves web content efficiently
- Handles static files with high performance
- Supports modern protocols and standards
Reverse Proxy
- Load Balancing: Distributes incoming requests across multiple backend servers
- Backend Routing: Intelligently routes requests based on various criteria
- Caching: Stores frequently requested content for faster delivery
- API Gateway: Acts as a single entry point for microservices architecture
Blog Series Overview
This comprehensive guide covers practical NGINX implementation through hands-on examples and real-world configurations. Each section builds your understanding of NGINX’s capabilities in production environments.
Core Concepts and Architecture
NGINX Layer 4 vs Layer 7 Proxying Understanding the fundamental difference between transport layer and application layer proxying, and when to use each approach.
Internal Architecture Deep dive into NGINX’s event-driven architecture and what makes it so efficient.
Threading and Connections How NGINX handles concurrent connections and manages system resources.
NGINX Process Architecture Understanding master and worker processes in production environments.
Security and Modern Protocols
TLS Implementing secure connections with modern TLS protocols and best practices.
HTTP/2 with Secure NGINX Leveraging HTTP/2 features for improved performance and security.
Practical Implementation
Nginx Demo Using Docker Hands-on containerized deployment examples to get you started quickly.
Nginx Timeouts Configuring timeouts properly to balance performance and reliability.
Configuration Deep Dives
Nginx Config: Webserver Setting up NGINX as a high-performance web server for static content.
Nginx Config: Level 7 Proxy Application-layer proxy configuration for HTTP traffic routing and manipulation.
Nginx Config: Level 4 Proxy Transport-layer proxy setup for non-HTTP traffic and raw TCP/UDP handling.
Advanced Features
Nginx and WebSockets Configuring NGINX to handle real-time, bidirectional communication.
WebSockets: Demo Practical implementation examples for WebSocket proxying.
Industry Insights and Security
NGINRat - A Remote Access Trojan Injecting NGINX (Article) Real-world security case study highlighting potential vulnerabilities and protection strategies.
How We Built Pingora, the Proxy That Connects Cloudflare to the Internet Industry perspective on modern proxy architecture and alternatives to traditional solutions.
Learning Path
This content is designed to be followed sequentially, with each section building upon previous concepts. However, experienced users can jump to specific topics based on their immediate needs.
This blog post was compiled from my notes on a Nginx Fundamental course. I hope it helps clarify these essential concepts for you!