Add an expires directive to the Nginx location that serves your static files, test the configuration, reload Nginx, and verify the response with curl -I. For example, expires 7d; tells clients to reuse a successful static-file response for seven days. If your asset filenames change whenever their contents change, a longer policy such as expires 1y; can reduce repeat downloads without leaving old files permanently associated with a URL.
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The directive writes both an Expires header and a Cache-Control: max-age=... header. It is intended for browser and downstream-cache behavior; it does not by itself configure Nginx’s separate proxy-cache storage.
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What the Nginx expires directive does
Nginx’s expires directive, provided by the ngx_http_headers_module, tells a browser or intermediary how long it may reuse a response without fetching the same URL again. A positive duration produces a Cache-Control header with a corresponding max-age value and an Expires date calculated from the response time.
For a seven-day policy, the response will contain the equivalent of Cache-Control: max-age=604800 (seven days expressed in seconds) and an Expires date in the future. The exact date is generated by Nginx when it sends the response.
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Where it is valid
You can place expires in the http, server, or location context, or in an if block inside a location. The default is off, which leaves existing Expires and Cache-Control headers unchanged.
Which responses it affects
The directive applies only to these response statuses: 200, 201, 204, 206, 301, 302, 303, 304, 307, and 308. An error response or another status outside that list is not given an expiry policy by this directive.
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Choose the files and lifetime before editing Nginx
Set caching where the URL represents a reusable static object, such as a stylesheet, JavaScript file, image, font, or downloadable document. Do not apply a long lifetime to an HTML route or an API response merely because it is delivered by the same server block; those URLs often need to reflect changes quickly.
Use a short or moderate lifetime for stable URLs
A policy such as expires 7d; is a practical starting point when the same filename may be replaced during the week. Visitors can still receive a newer file after the lifetime ends, while repeat visits during that period can use the cached copy.
Use a long lifetime only with cache-busting filenames
If a deployment changes the filename whenever the contents change—for example, by producing a new versioned asset name—expires 1y; can be appropriate. The old URL can remain cached for its full lifetime while new pages reference a new URL. Without that filename change, a year-long policy can keep an updated file from being requested until the cached lifetime expires.
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Decide whether zero or negative values are intentional
A zero duration emits Cache-Control: max-age=0. A negative duration emits Cache-Control: no-cache. These are useful when clients should check with the origin rather than treating the response as freely reusable, but they are not equivalent to removing all cache-related headers.
Basic static-file configuration
Put the directive in a location that actually handles the static extensions you want to cache. This example covers common assets and assigns a seven-day lifetime:
server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com;
root /var/www/example;
location ~* .(?:css|js|jpg|jpeg|png|gif|svg|webp|woff|woff2)$ {
expires 7d;
}
}The regular expression is case-insensitive because of ~*, so an uppercase extension is matched as well. Adjust the extension list to your application rather than copying it unchanged. A document that should be retained for one year could use a separate, more specific location:
location ~* .(?:css|js)$ {
expires 1y;
}Keep the policy in the location that serves the files. A server-level directive can be useful for a broad default, but a more specific location may override it, and a misplaced directive can make verification appear to fail.
Apply the change safely
- Find the active configuration. Identify the server block that serves the hostname and the location that handles the target files. Distribution packages commonly include a main configuration plus files included from a
conf.dor sites directory; use the layout used by your installation rather than assuming a single path. - Add the directive to the matching location. Start with a limited extension set and a lifetime such as
7d. Keep unrelated application routes outside that block. - Check syntax before reloading. Run
nginx -twith the same privileges and configuration that your service uses. Correct any reported file, brace, or directive errors before continuing. - Reload Nginx. Use your service manager’s reload operation, such as
systemctl reload nginx, so existing connections are not needlessly terminated. If your installation uses a different service manager, use its equivalent reload action. - Inspect the actual response. Request the exact public URL, not a local filesystem path:
curl -I https://example.com/assets/site.css. Look for aCache-Control: max-age=...value matching the selected duration and anExpiresdate that is in the future. - Test a representative status and location. Check more than one extension if several regex locations exist. Also test through the public hostname and protocol that visitors use, because another proxy or virtual host can change the response you see.
Syntax and value behavior
The directive has two forms:
expires [modified] time;
expires epoch | max | off;| Value | Headers and meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
time greater than zero |
Sets Cache-Control: max-age=t, where t is the duration in seconds, and calculates an Expires date from the response time. |
Normal browser caching for assets with a known replacement window, such as 7d or 1y. |
0 |
Sets max-age=0. |
When a client should not consider the response fresh without checking. |
| Negative time | Sets Cache-Control: no-cache. |
When revalidation is required rather than unrestricted reuse. |
modified time |
Computes expiry from the file’s modification time plus the specified duration, rather than from the request time. | Policies tied to the on-disk file timestamp. |
@15h30m |
Uses a time-of-day expiry. The @ form is supported in Nginx versions since 0.7.9 and 0.6.34. |
When all responses should expire at a particular daily clock time. |
max |
Sets Expires to 31 December 2037 at 23:55:55 GMT and sets Cache-Control: max-age=315360000, or ten years. |
Only when the URL is effectively permanent, normally because its name is content-versioned. |
epoch |
Sets Expires to 1 January 1970 at 00:00:01 GMT and Cache-Control: no-cache. |
An explicit stale-by-design policy. |
off |
Leaves Expires and Cache-Control unchanged. This is the default. |
When another configuration layer already supplies the desired headers. |
The modified form changes the reference point only; it does not turn a dynamic response into a file-based response. Use it where the served file’s modification time is the value you want to anchor.
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Set different lifetimes with a variable
Since Nginx 1.7.9, the value may be a variable. A map in the http context lets you select a policy from a response property. This pattern gives PDFs 42 days, images the max policy, and everything else no expires change:
http {
map $sent_http_content_type $expires {
default off;
application/pdf 42d;
~image/ max;
}
server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com;
root /var/www/example;
location / {
expires $expires;
}
}
}The map’s keys must match the value available at the point where the variable is evaluated. If a response has a content type that does not match either entry, default off leaves the existing headers alone. Test each category with curl -I; a variable-driven policy is harder to diagnose than a single literal duration.
When you need immutable
The expires directive cannot emit the immutable cache-control token. If your policy specifically requires that token, use an explicit header instead, for example:
location ~* .(?:css|js)$ {
add_header Cache-Control "public, max-age=31536000, immutable" always;
}Choose either the expires policy or this custom Cache-Control policy for a location. Do not combine expires with a custom Cache-Control add_header in the same location: the response can contain duplicate or contradictory cache instructions. The one-year value above is a policy choice, not a requirement; use it only when the URL changes whenever the file changes.
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Nginx selects one location to process a request. With overlapping regular-expression locations, it uses the first matching regex location it reaches. For example, if one regex matches .css and another earlier regex matches both .css and .js, the later block containing expires may never handle the CSS request.
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Keep related extensions in one regex where practical, or order regex locations deliberately. When a header is missing, inspect the complete active configuration and identify the selected location rather than adding another overlapping block. A server-level setting can also be hidden by a more specific location that supplies its own headers.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Browser caching is separate from Nginx proxy caching
expires controls what the client and downstream caches are told to store. Nginx’s own proxy cache is a separate feature with its own cache zone, key, validity, and storage behavior. The origin’s Expires and Cache-Control headers can influence proxy behavior, but the exact result depends on the proxy-cache configuration and was not established by the directive alone.
If a response looks correct at the origin but a reverse proxy serves a different policy, inspect that proxy’s configuration and headers independently. Do not assume that adding expires automatically enables, fills, or purges Nginx’s proxy cache.
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Verify headers and diagnose common failures
No Cache-Control or Expires header appears
- Confirm the requested URL maps to the location containing
expires. - Check for an earlier matching regular-expression location.
- Run
nginx -tand reload the instance whose configuration serves the hostname. - Check that the response status is one of the statuses supported by the directive.
- Look for another configuration layer that replaces or hides the header.
The duration is not the one you configured
- Convert the configured duration to seconds and compare it with
max-age. For example, seven days is604800seconds. - Check whether a variable or
mapselects a different value. - Inspect whether a more specific location handles the file.
- Make sure you are not viewing a response from a downstream proxy or an already cached browser entry.
Two cache policies appear in the response
Search the active configuration for both expires and add_header Cache-Control in the same request path. Remove the conflicting directive or consolidate the policy so one location emits one intentional cache instruction.
The date appears unexpectedly old or far in the future
Check whether the configuration uses modified, max, or epoch rather than an ordinary duration. modified anchors the calculation to the file timestamp; max deliberately uses the fixed 2037 date and ten-year max-age; epoch deliberately produces a 1970 date and no-cache.
Operational patterns that avoid stale deployments
Pattern 1: replaceable static filenames
Use a moderate duration such as 7d for assets whose URL stays the same while contents may be replaced. This limits how long an unchanged URL can remain fresh and reduces the chance that a routine deployment waits a full year to become visible to every browser.
Pattern 2: versioned filenames
Use a long duration such as 1y or the max value only when the deployment process creates a new URL for every content change. New pages then point at the new filename, while old cached objects remain associated with their old URLs.
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Use a map when a single server handles several file types with different retention needs. Keep the default as off until each type has an intentional policy, then verify one URL from every mapped category.
Rollback and change control
- Keep the previous configuration block available while you evaluate the new headers.
- If verification reveals an unintended policy, restore the prior
expiresvalue or remove the directive, runnginx -t, and reload. - Remember that a browser or intermediary may already have stored a response under the old lifetime. Changing the server header cannot force an already-fresh object to be discarded; use a new asset URL when an immediate content change is required.
A reliable implementation is therefore narrow and explicit: match only the static URLs you intend to cache, choose a lifetime that fits how those URLs change, avoid competing header directives, and verify the live response after every configuration change.
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