Scribd
Upload
24 views2 pages

Comparison between Apache and Nginx

Uploaded by

Raj Mohan Mariappan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
24 views2 pages

Comparison between Apache and Nginx

Uploaded by

Raj Mohan Mariappan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Comparison between Apache and Nginx

Feature Apache Nginx


Architecture Process-based, multi-threaded Event-driven, asynchronous,
or multi-process model. non-blocking model.

Performance Slower for static content, Highly performant, especially


resource-intensive under heavy for static content and handling
load. high concurrency.

Static Can serve static content, but Extremely fast and efficient at
Content less efficient than Nginx. serving static content.
Handling
Dynamic Handles dynamic content Does not serve dynamic
Content directly with modules like content directly, acts as a
Handling mod_php, mod_wsgi. reverse proxy to backend
servers (e.g., PHP-FPM,
Node.js).

Configuration Complex configuration, supports Simple and declarative


.htaccess for directory-specific configuration; no support
configurations. for .htaccess. All config is in
main nginx.conf.

Reverse Can act as a reverse proxy with Excellent reverse proxy and
Proxy & Load mod_proxy and load balancing capabilities,
Balancing mod_proxy_balancer, but less supports HTTP, TCP, and UDP
efficient. load balancing.

Resource More resource-heavy due to Lightweight, efficient; can


Usage process/thread-based model. handle tens of thousands of
concurrent connections with
minimal resource usage.

Security Comprehensive security Secure by default with built-in


modules (e.g., mod_security, SSL/TLS, rate limiting, and
mod_ssl), .htaccess-based minimal attack surface.
configuration for access control.

Module Extensive module support for Modular but requires compile-


Support different use cases (e.g., time inclusion (no dynamic
mod_php, mod_ssl, module loading), fewer
mod_rewrite). modules compared to Apache.

File Handling Serves both static and dynamic Best for serving static content;
content, can be slow with many handles dynamic content
concurrent requests. through proxying.

Ease of Use More complex, suitable for Easier configuration, especially


advanced setups with .htaccess for modern use cases like load
support. balancing and reverse proxy.
Compatibility Wide compatibility, default web Increasingly popular, used as a
server on many Linux front-end for various web
distributions. applications, including modern
containerized and
microservices architectures.

Caching Basic caching through Powerful caching capabilities


mod_cache, mod_disk_cache, for static content, can also
etc. cache dynamic content with
configurations.

Use Case Best for serving dynamic Best for reverse proxy, load
content, legacy applications, balancing, static content
and traditional web hosting. delivery, high-traffic websites,
modern web architectures.

Community & Large, established community; Rapidly growing community,


Ecosystem long history in the open-source widely adopted for modern
web server space. applications, microservices,
and containers.

SSL/TLS Supports SSL/TLS via mod_ssl. Native support for SSL/TLS,


Support including SSL termination, with
high performance.

Customizabili Highly customizable with Less customizable than


ty various modules and Apache, but still flexible and
configurations. efficient for specific use cases.

Documentati Extensive documentation and a Growing documentation base,


on large set of resources available. good resources for modern use
cases.

Popular LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, Often used with PHP-FPM,


Stack PHP) stack. Node.js, and as a reverse
proxy/load balancer for various
backends.

License Open-source (Apache License Open-source (2-clause BSD


2.0). license).

Key Takeaways:

 Apache is more flexible and has a long history in web hosting. It’s ideal for
serving dynamic content and is often used for legacy applications.

 Nginx is faster, lighter, and more efficient for high-traffic websites and is often
used as a reverse proxy or load balancer in front of Apache or other backend
servers for optimal performance.

You might also like