For those of you who are still confused about what Nginx and Apache are, these two web servers are popular web servers that account for most of the world's web traffic.
Nginx and Apache are web servers that are used to run websites properly by handling performance loads to meet the needs of different environments in various operating systems such as Linux or Windows. what is the difference between Nginx and Apache? and which is better of the two?
There must be one of you, when you are going to install a web server on a VPS, you are confused, which one is better, Nginx or Apache. Many opinions that say both are equally good, it's true. But it would be better, we first know what Nginx and Apache are in terms of performance, flexibility, security, configuration, etc.
Nothing is perfect in this world, as well as these 2 web servers, they each have their own advantages and disadvantages.
1. Nginx
Nginx or Engine X is a web server that was released in 2004 and is a competitor to Apache. Nginx is a pretty solid platform designed to serve the modern web from around the world.
Developed by Igor Sysoev, Nginx is an open source HTTP server that can be used as a proxy, TCP proxy server and handle concurrent users efficiently with minimal resource usage. Nginx is here to provide a solution to handle massive web traffic.
The advantages of Nginx are its async state and single thread architecture which makes it slightly superior to Apache. It is favored by users for the purpose of resource efficiency and lightweight architecture.
And it can also be used as a standalone HTTP server to improve the architecture and can serve traffic quickly and efficiently.
1. Framework
In the working concept, Nginx is based on event, meaning that requests from Nginx are not executed immediately but can wait for several processes at once.
2. Request handling
Using minimal hardware resources to provide services to users simultaneously.
3. Configuration
Nginx doesn't have a configuration system like Apache's .htaccess, so it offers efficiency and speed, but Nginx doesn't allow configuration in the root directory.
2. Apache
Apache is an open source web server that can be used by anyone, in other words, the source code can be modified according to user needs. It was first released in 1995 and in 2009 Apache reached 100 million site users.
This platform is a high-performance web server software managed by the Apache Software Foundation. Apache designs a commercial-grade web server that is robust, secure and efficient according to HTTP standards.
This web server is included in the main choice of web servers that are often used because of power compatibility and support from various platforms and can almost run on all operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Unix, OSX and NetWare.
Its simplicity and flexibility make Apache a top and popular choice.
1. Interesting features
The features available in Apache include control panel administration and authentication and the existence of a virtual hosting module that allows you to run multiple websites at once using the same server.
There are also other services such as SMTP, FTP and community that help Apache add new features and improve security.
2. Good compatibility
Includes support for running multiple programming languages such as PHP, Perl or Python and hardware and software compatibility that makes Apache easy to use.
3. Configuration
Apache uses .htaccess to configure it, this is because the file provides flexibility to handle every incoming request such as rewrite URLs, memory limits, query manipulation, set headers etc.
4. Module
Another interesting thing is the dynamic module which serves to extend the web server functionality. Apache allows users to install modules after all installation preparations are complete and can be used as needed.
3. Comparison of Nginx and Apache
Overall, both of these web servers have their own advantages and disadvantages. But it all depends on your needs, here we will see a comparison in terms of performance, security and flexibility.
1. Performance
In terms of performance for using static websites, Nginx has a performance advantage that is twice as good as Apache, because Nginx uses less memory, if your website is a static website, you can use Nginx to maximize performance.
In terms of performance for the use of dynamic web sites such as PHP, both have performances that are not much different because they use the same module, but the point is that the two web servers do not offer great performance, they only look good in terms of efficiency.
2. Security
For security, both platforms have good security, but the vulnerability report feature on Apache is slightly superior to Nginx.
3. Flexibility
Apache can be said to be a flexible web server, because it has 60+ different modules that can extend the web server itself and have customization features such as .htaccess that Nginx does not exist.
Conclusion
To determine a good web server from Apache and Nginx I say these two web servers are equally cool with their advantages and disadvantages. It all depends on which one you want to use and what your needs are.
If your project is a static website and requires support for high enough traffic, you can use Nginx because of its memory efficient advantages, for dynamic websites like PHP these two platforms are equally good and nothing is great.
And if your website needs a lot of customization in configuration, Apache is the right choice.
