Nginx

Nginx is open-source web server software: it accepts browser requests and delivers website pages to visitors. It is also widely used as a reverse proxy (an intermediary in front of backend servers), a load balancer, and a cache server. Created by Igor Sysoev in 2004, it is now one of the most-used web servers in the world.

The core difference is architecture: Apache traditionally uses a process or thread per connection, while Nginx's event-driven model handles tens of thousands of connections with minimal resources. Under high traffic and for static files, Nginx typically uses less memory; Apache remains flexible on shared hosting thanks to .htaccess files and its rich module system. Many stacks actually use both, with Nginx in front of Apache.

A reverse proxy is an intermediary server that sits between visitors and your actual application: think of it as a building's front desk. Requests arrive at Nginx first, which forwards them to the right backend (a Next.js or Django app, for example) and passes the response back. This centralizes SSL handling, hides backend servers, and makes it easy to distribute traffic.

Its event-driven, asynchronous architecture: instead of dedicating a process to each visitor, a handful of worker processes each juggle thousands of connections without idling during waits. This keeps memory usage low and response times stable even under heavy load. Serving static files (images, CSS, JS) directly from disk adds to the speed.

Yes, the open-source version of Nginx is completely free under the permissive BSD-2-Clause license, including for commercial use. F5, Inc. also sells Nginx Plus, a paid product with extras like active health checks and commercial support. For the vast majority of business websites, the free version is more than enough.

You point the Nginx configuration at your certificate and key files, enable encrypted connections on port 443, and redirect HTTP traffic to HTTPS. In practice, the most common route is Let's Encrypt's free certificates with the certbot tool, which obtains and auto-renews certificates. Proper HTTPS protects visitor data and is a positive signal for Google rankings.

Load balancing means distributing incoming requests across several servers so no single one gets overwhelmed. Nginx supports it natively with methods like round-robin (taking turns) and least-connections routing. Small sites rarely need it, but it becomes important as traffic grows or when uptime is business-critical.

According to survey sources like W3Techs, Nginx has for years been one of the two most-used web servers worldwide alongside Apache, serving a large share of all websites. Companies like Netflix and Cloudflare have used Nginx or solutions built on it in their infrastructure. That ubiquity means battle-tested reliability, extensive documentation, and strong community support.

No, they do different jobs. Node.js/Next.js and Django are the application layer that runs your business logic; Nginx is the web server/reverse proxy that sits in front of them. In a typical setup the app listens on an internal port while Nginx accepts public traffic, terminates SSL, and serves static files. Nginx complements these technologies rather than competing with them.

In practical terms: your site loads faster, is protected by HTTPS, and holds up better when a campaign drives a traffic spike. Because it is resource-efficient, the same server budget serves more visitors, which keeps hosting costs down. You don't need to manage any of this yourself: the team building your site, such as SaytPro, configures it on the server side.

SaytPro configures Nginx as a reverse proxy in front of every client site on its own VPS servers: Next.js frontends and Django backends run behind it while Nginx handles HTTPS, domain redirects, and static file delivery. SSL certificates renew automatically via Let's Encrypt.