Frequently Asked Questions¶

General¶

How do you pronounce "NGINX"?¶

Correct: "engine-X" (en-juhn-eks)

Incorrect: "en-jinks"

Is it safe to use the development branch?¶

Generally, yes. Development releases are stable; many users run them in production. The main concern is that third-party module APIs may change.

Best practice: Wait 2-3 days after a development release. If no emergency fixes are released, it's likely stable.

How do I generate .htpasswd without Apache tools?¶

Using OpenSSL:

# Crypt encryption
printf "John:$(openssl passwd -crypt V3Ry)\n" >> .htpasswd

# Apache MD5 (apr1)
printf "Mary:$(openssl passwd -apr1 SEcRe7)\n" >> .htpasswd

# MD5
printf "Jane:$(openssl passwd -1 V3RySEcRe7)\n" >> .htpasswd

Or use Python's htpasswd.py script.

Why isn't my configuration working?¶

1. Enable debug logging
2. Review error log line by line
3. Search online for similar issues
4. Ask on IRC or mailing list with full details

HTTP¶

What does @location mean?¶

@location is a named location. It preserves $uri and can only be reached via: - error_page - post_action - try_files

Example:

location / {
    try_files $uri $uri/ @backend;
}

location @backend {
    proxy_pass http://backend;
}

Proxying¶

NGINX vs Squid?¶

• NGINX: Reverse proxy, minimal RAM/CPU under load
• Squid: Caching proxy for dynamic content

NGINX's proxy module supports caching upstream servers.

How do I show upload progress?¶

Use the Upload Progress module.

Load Balancing¶

What algorithms does NGINX support?¶

• Round-robin (default)
• Least connections (least_conn)
• IP hash (ip_hash)
• All support weights

Mail¶

How do I configure IMAP proxy?¶

See IMAP Proxy Example and IMAP Auth with PHP.

How do I use NGINX as SMTP proxy with Postfix?¶

mail {
    server_name mail.example.com;
    auth_http localhost:8008/auth-smtppass.php;

    server {
        listen 25;
        protocol smtp;
        timeout 5s;
        proxy on;
        xclient off;
        smtp_auth none;
    }
}

Miscellaneous¶

Why do I see "Welcome to nginx!" on Facebook/Google?¶

NGINX is not a virus. This usually indicates a misconfigured proxy or DNS hijacking. Check your network settings and DNS configuration.

Is chroot supported?¶

Not built-in. Use OS-level isolation (BSD Jails, Docker, OpenVZ).

What about mod_suexec?¶

NGINX doesn't need it. Run separate NGINX instances per user, or use FastCGI with per-user PHP-FPM pools.