Introduction

A web server and reverse proxy to serve websites, route traffic, and secure applications.

// Often used in prod

// Does not upload or run code.

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A typical “deployment” flow usually includes:

1. Build your app (frontend build, backend jar, etc.)
2. Run the app 24/7 somewhere (VPS, Docker, Kubernetes)
3. Point a domain to your server (DNS)
4. Configure Nginx to route traffic
5. Set up HTTPS (SSL) </aside>

Common uses

• Web server: serve static files (HTML/CSS/JS)
• Reverse proxy: forward requests to application servers (Node.js, Spring Boot, Python)
• Load balancing: distribute requests across multiple app instances
• SSL/TLS termination: handle HTTPS and certificates
• Caching: cache responses to improve performance
• Rate limiting: reduce abuse and help mitigate DDoS

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Nginx is free and widely used under the hood in many cloud setups. On a VPS or local server, you configure it directly.

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Nginx is sits in front of backend

🌍 Internet
- DNS route to public IP on VPS, reach into nginx first)
         ↓

🌐 Nginx (Reverse Proxy)
- Single public entry point
- Add security, SSL, routing, caching
- Horizontal scaling (load balance to instances)
         ↓
⚙️ Backend (Node.js / Java / Python)
         ↓
🗄️ Database (MySQL / MongoDB)