Introduction to NGINX

NGINX is a high-performance web server and reverse proxy widely adopted in modern DevOps and production ecosystems. It is known for its event-driven, non-blocking architecture that allows it to handle thousands of concurrent connections with minimal resource usage.

Why Do DevOps Engineers Use NGINX?

DevOps teams rely on NGINX because it can serve as:

• A high-performance web server
• A reverse proxy for backend services
• A load balancer that distributes traffic
• An SSL/TLS terminator
• A static file server
• A security layer protecting APIs
• A critical component in Docker & Kubernetes deployments

NGINX sits at the edge of most infrastructures, acting as a central traffic manager.

Real-World Usage

Some well-known companies that use NGINX in production include:

• Netflix
• Airbnb
• GitHub
• Dropbox
• Kubernetes (NGINX powers many Ingress controllers)

NGINX is popular for its stability, speed, and lightweight footprint.

Visual Overview

Client → NGINX → Upstream / Backend Servers

NGINX receives client requests, processes them efficiently, and forwards them to the appropriate backend service.