How to manage NGINX Reverse Proxy
Nginx pronounced Engine X is now enabled by default for all packages as a reverse proxy. The benefits of this type of caching are visible through an increase in the general speed and availability of your sites via caching. This works by saving a copy of site content, then returning this copy to the user directly. Removing the need to request and generate the content from the origin server every time a user visits a site. This is a much more efficient way of handling requests, especially on busy sites. Additionally, using Nginx reverse proxy can significantly reduce the load on your origin server. By serving this content directly to users, the server can handle more concurrent connections and maintain performance during traffic spikes. This leads to improved scalability and reliability, as the server is less likely to become overwhelmed during peak times.
What is an NGINX Reverse Proxy? An Extended look
An NGINX Reverse Proxy is a proxy server that works by forwarding client http requests to any one or many application servers. To simplify it further (possibly oversimplify) picture a river, on a standard non proxy server traffic flows in straight line from one end of the river to the other. Too much water and the river floods which is not what you want you can think of an NGINX proxy server as a dam that forks into multiple different tributaries we can control the flow and optimise it so that each tributary receives the right amount of water and doesn’t flood.
This is because unlike a standard web server, a reverse proxy server is configured to handle http client requests on behalf of proxied servers, helping with load balancing, improved security and better; more efficient performance. For VPS and dedicated services when you install an nginx system on ubuntu you can configure NGINX to act as a reverse proxy by editing the nginx configuration file. From this configuration file you can alter the proxy_pass and proxy_set_header directives directing traffic to the IP addresses of the backend servers
To set up an nginx reverse proxy server, you need to create a server block in the nginx config that specifies the domain name and localhost as the endpoints. When you configure your nginx reverse proxy you can also set headers like proxy_add_forwarded_for and proxy_set_header x-forwarded_for this helps maintain accurate information about the client. This tied in with load balancer functionality helps improve performance and efficiency across multiple servers distributing incoming http requests evenly and reliably.
nginx reverse proxy configuration also involves setting headers like proxy_add_x_forwarded_for and proxy_set_header x-forwarded-for to ensure accurate client information is forwarded. Additionally, nginx uses load balancer capabilities to distribute incoming http requests evenly across multiple servers, enhancing efficiency and reliability.
Overall, enabling Nginx as a reverse proxy by default provides a robust solution for improving site speed, reducing server load, and enhancing the overall user experience. It is a powerful tool for web administrators looking to optimize their infrastructure and ensure their sites remain fast and responsive under varying loads.
On occasion, Nginx will need to be disabled or cleared. A great example is during the active development of a site. You might need changes to appear immediately, because of how nginx works it might be best to disable nginx entirely for the duration of development.
This guide outlines how to do this from your cPanel control panel, so you must first log in to cPanel.
Enable Nginx Cache in cPanel
1. First off, from the main cPanel overview screen, navigate to the general information panel.
2. To enable the cache, click the highlighted radio button and a small spinning icon will appear.
3. Caching is active when the button appears blue and “Active” appears.
Disable Nginx Cache in cPanel
1. To disable caching, click the highlighted button below, the loading icon indicates it is working.
2. Caching is disabled when the button appears clear and the text “Inactive” appears. It will also remove the “Clear Cache” button.
Clear Nginx Cache in cPanel
1. Clearing the cache is simple, just click the “Clear Cache” button as indicated below. If the cache clean-up is successful, a green banner will appear above.
