How to set up Nginx as a caching reverse proxy?

Better Stack Team

Updated on November 23, 2023

Setting up Nginx as a caching reverse proxy can significantly improve web server performance by serving cached content to users, reducing the load on the upstream servers. Here's a basic guideline on how to configure Nginx as a caching reverse proxy:

Step 1: Install Nginx

Make sure Nginx is installed on your server. You can install it using your package manager. For instance, on Ubuntu, you can use:

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sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx

Step 2: Configure Nginx as a Caching Reverse Proxy

Edit Nginx configuration:
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```
sudo nano /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
```

Inside the configuration file, add or modify the following blocks:

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http {
    # Define caching path and zone
    proxy_cache_path /path/to/cache levels=1:2 keys_zone=my_cache:10m max_size=10g inactive=60m;

    # Define proxy settings
    proxy_cache my_cache;
    proxy_cache_valid 200 302 10m; # Cache successful responses for 10 minutes
    proxy_cache_valid 404      1m; # Cache 404 errors for 1 minute
    proxy_cache_use_stale error timeout updating http_500 http_502 http_503 http_504;

    server {
        listen 80;

        # Proxy requests to the upstream server
        location / {
            proxy_pass http://your_upstream_server;
            proxy_set_header Host $host;
            proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
            proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;

            # Enable caching for this location
            proxy_cache my_cache;
            proxy_cache_key $scheme$proxy_host$request_uri$is_args$args;
        }
    }
}

Step 3: Reload Nginx Configuration

After making changes, save the configuration file and test for syntax errors:

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sudo nginx -t

If there are no errors, reload Nginx to apply the changes:

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sudo systemctl reload nginx

Step 4: Testing and Monitoring

Test your setup by accessing your website and checking the HTTP response headers to verify caching is working. Look for X-Cache headers to see if content is served from the cache or not.
Monitor the cache status and performance using Nginx's status module or other monitoring tools.

Additional Considerations:

Adjust caching directives based on your specific requirements.
Tailor cache settings like proxy_cache_valid and proxy_cache_use_stale according to your application's needs.
Ensure you have enough disk space allocated for caching (max_size in proxy_cache_path).
Regularly monitor and adjust the caching configuration for optimal performance.

This configuration serves as a starting point. You might need to tweak it based on your specific use case and requirements.

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