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1. Establish a baseline before changing directives
NGINX can be a static-file server, TLS terminator, reverse proxy or load balancer. Each role has different bottlenecks. Record a baseline for:
- request latency (including upstream latency), throughput and status-code errors;
- CPU and memory use for master and worker processes;
- active, reading, writing and waiting connections;
- upstream connection counts, response times and failures;
- response bytes, cache hits and origin requests.
Change one related group at a time, validate syntax with nginx -t, reload gracefully, and compare the same measurements under representative traffic. NGINX documentation describes mechanisms and defaults, not a guaranteed result for every workload.
2. Understand workers, connections and file descriptors
Master and worker processes
The master process reads configuration and manages workers; workers process requests with an event-based model whose details depend on the operating system. Confirm the installed version and packaging before copying examples.
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worker_connections is not a client quota
The core reference documents a default of 512 for worker_connections. That limit counts all connections opened by each worker, including connections to proxied servers—not just browser connections. A reverse-proxy request can therefore consume a client-side and an upstream connection. The effective maximum is also constrained by the process open-file limit.
events {
worker_connections 1024;
}
Choose a value only after checking traffic patterns, memory, file descriptors and operating-system limits. A high number without enough descriptors or memory does not create capacity.
Raise the open-file limit deliberately
worker_rlimit_nofile can raise the maximum number of open files available to workers, but the operating system and service manager must permit the requested limit.
worker_rlimit_nofile 65535;
events {
worker_connections 4096;
}
Treat these numbers as examples, not universal recommendations. Confirm the resulting limits in the service’s runtime environment and load-test concurrent client and upstream connections together.
3. Configure HTTPS without copying obsolete snippets
Inspect version and build defaults
The NGINX HTTPS guide currently documents TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3 as protocol defaults and HIGH:!aNULL:!MD5 as the cipher default, while warning that defaults have changed over time. Inspect your installed version and distribution policy rather than reusing a dated cipher string.
nginx -V
nginx -t
Store the private key with restricted filesystem access while keeping it readable by the NGINX master process. Separate certificate and key permissions from the public certificate, and verify the service can reload without exposing the key to unrelated users.
server {
listen 443 ssl;
server_name example.com;
ssl_certificate /etc/nginx/tls/example.com.crt;
ssl_certificate_key /etc/nginx/tls/example.com.key;
ssl_protocols TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3;
location / {
proxy_pass http://app_backend;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
}
}
Use a current policy appropriate to your clients and compliance requirements for ciphers and certificate chains. Do not assume a configuration written for one NGINX release or distribution has identical defaults on another.
Reduce avoidable TLS handshakes
NGINX identifies the SSL handshake as its most CPU-intensive SSL operation. HTTP keepalive reuses connections; a shared SSL session cache can allow resumed sessions. The SSL module documents a five-minute default cache timeout and estimates that a 1 MB shared cache stores about 4,000 sessions. That estimate is not a sizing rule.
http {
ssl_session_cache shared:SSL:10m;
ssl_session_timeout 10m;
}
Measure handshake rate, CPU, memory and connection behavior before and after changing cache size or timeout. Longer retention can affect operational and security policy, so tune it with your certificate, client mix and compliance requirements in mind.
4. Decide whether gzip helps your content
The gzip module is off by default. Its documentation says compression can reduce transmitted response size by half or more, but the result depends on payload type. Compression level accepts values from 1 through 9 and defaults to 1.
http {
gzip on;
gzip_comp_level 1;
gzip_min_length 1000;
gzip_types text/plain text/css application/javascript application/json application/xml;
gzip_vary on;
}
Compare response bytes, CPU time, latency and cache behavior for your actual HTML, JSON, CSS and JavaScript. Avoid compressing already-compressed formats such as most JPEG, PNG, WebP, ZIP or video files.
NGINX explicitly warns: “When using the SSL/TLS protocol, compressed responses may be subject to BREACH attacks.” Review whether responses contain secrets alongside attacker-influenced data before enabling compression on authenticated pages. The appropriate scope and mitigation require an application-specific security review; do not treat gzip as automatically safe or automatically forbidden.
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5. Check HTTP/2 and optional-module compatibility
HTTP/2 over TLS requires ALPN support. NGINX’s HTTP/2 module documentation shows the modern http2 on; form, notes that the module is not built by default and requires --with-http_v2_module, and identifies some older directives as obsolete. Packaging determines whether the module is present.
server {
listen 443 ssl;
http2 on;
server_name example.com;
# certificate directives omitted here
}
Run nginx -V and inspect package documentation before enabling this. Confirm client compatibility and test negotiated protocols. The build reference also lists optional HTTP/3 and other modules, but module availability alone is not an HTTP/3 deployment recipe.
6. Tune reverse-proxy connections and caching carefully
Upstream keepalive
Persistent upstream connections can avoid repeated TCP and TLS work between NGINX and an application server. Size an upstream keepalive pool from observed concurrency and backend limits, not from a copied number. Verify that the application, load balancer and database can tolerate the resulting idle connections.
Proxy caching is an application decision
The proxy module supports cache zones, keys, bypass rules and stale behavior. A cache is safe only when you have defined which responses are public, how personalization is detected, how freshness is enforced and how invalidation works.
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proxy_cache_path /var/cache/nginx levels=1:2 keys_zone=public_cache:10m inactive=60m;
server {
location /assets/ {
proxy_cache public_cache;
proxy_pass http://app_backend;
}
}
This example is appropriate only for content you have classified as cacheable. Do not cache personalized responses merely because they return successfully. Review Cache-Control, cookies, authorization headers, purge behavior and failure responses.
Rate and connection limits
NGINX provides optional request-rate and connection-limit modules. Select an intentional key (for example, an authenticated identity or carefully considered client address), set values from normal traffic, and test bursts, proxies and IPv6. There is no safe universal rate-limit number.
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7. Select a load-balancing method by requirement
| Method | Distribution behavior | Use when | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round robin | Cycles through upstreams | Requests and servers are broadly comparable | Does not account for current connection counts |
| Least connected | Chooses the upstream with fewest active connections | Request durations vary or connection load matters | Distribution changes with workload and may need measurement |
| IP hash | Maps a client address consistently to an upstream | Application needs client-IP affinity | Skewed client populations can create uneven load |
NGINX documents all three methods. Compare distribution, active connections, affinity, health-check behavior and failure handling in your environment. The basic methods do not establish a best choice for every application or NGINX edition.
8. A safe change-and-verification workflow
- Record the installed version, build options, operating-system limits and current metrics.
- Back up the active configuration and identify the exact file included by the running service.
- Make one focused change, preserving a rollback copy.
- Run
nginx -t; fix syntax and semantic errors before reload. - Reload gracefully and verify new workers, certificate selection, negotiated protocol and upstream health.
- Run representative load and compare latency, throughput, errors, CPU, memory, connections and response bytes.
- Keep the change only if it improves the target metric without unacceptable security or reliability cost.
9. Troubleshooting common failures
“Too many open files” or dropped connections
The worker connection setting may exceed the process or operating-system file limit. Check service-manager limits, worker_rlimit_nofile, client connections and upstream sockets together; lower concurrency or raise limits coherently.
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The installed build may lack --with-http_v2_module, or the directive may be obsolete for that release. Check nginx -V and the documentation for the installed version, then use the syntax supported by that build.
High CPU after enabling gzip
Compression level, payload mix and duplicate compression may be responsible. Compare levels 1–9 on representative responses, exclude formats already compressed, and account for the BREACH review on TLS responses.
Users receive stale or private data
Inspect cache keys, cookies, authorization headers, bypass rules and invalidation. Disable caching for responses whose privacy or freshness cannot be proven.
TLS reload fails or the key is rejected
Run nginx -t, verify certificate-chain paths, confirm the key matches the certificate, and ensure the master process can read the key while other users cannot.
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10. What to document for future operators
- NGINX version, package source and
nginx -Vbuild flags; - worker, descriptor, keepalive, TLS, compression and cache decisions;
- certificate ownership, key permissions and renewal procedure;
- load-balancing affinity and failure assumptions;
- baseline metrics, test traffic and rollback commands.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I set for worker_connections?
Start from measured simultaneous client plus upstream connections per worker, then verify file-descriptor and memory limits. The documented default is 512, not a capacity target.
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Use a current version’s documented TLS policy, protect the private key, validate with nginx -t, and test certificate, protocol and reload behavior before production.
Should gzip always be enabled?
No. Measure bytes and CPU for your payloads and review BREACH exposure for compressed TLS responses containing sensitive data.
The Bottom Line
Measure first, change one control at a time, and keep every setting tied to a verified workload, NGINX build and security requirement.
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