What is the difference between Nginx and Apache?
Written By
Ananaya Kandpal
Reading time: 4 minutes
A web server refers to a computer that keeps, processes, and offers web pages to users. Apache server and NGINX are the two most prominent web servers fostering the Internet today. More than 50% of the websites in the world operate on these two web servers. They are both designed to manage different workloads and to complement several types of software, creating an extensive web application stack.
Now, the question is which web server hosting you should choose. They may be similar in different ways, but they are not similar. Each one takes its approach to configuration management, performance optimization, and more. So, it’s crucial to understand these differences for making the perfect choice when deciding between NGINX and Apache as a web hosting solution.
So, let’s understand the main differences between Nginx and Apache.
What is NGINX and its significant benefits?
NGINX, which is also written as Nginx, refers to an open-source software used for web serving, reverse proxying, caching, load balancing, media streaming, and more. It arrived almost two decades ago when it was first introduced by Russian developer Igor Sysoev. When it was first released, Nginx was widely used for serving static files, but currently, it has grown into a complete web server that deals with the whole spectrum of server tasks.
Significance of NGINX
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It is an open-source and completely free to use.
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It has a simple configuration system, unlike Apache. The user must edit no more than two files.
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The performance of NGINX, when it comes to serving static files, including PDF, ZIP, HTML, MP4, AND MPEG.
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It handles traffic from any web application with no challenges whatsoever and offers configuration control for most applications. Various applications like WordPress, Python, Ruby, Drupal, VBulletin, and several other famous applications are served by NGINX.
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It is superior when it comes to managing concurrent connections, response time, and usage of resources as compared to other web servers like Apache or Lighttpd.
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It makes websites faster, thereby allowing them to get a higher ranking by Google, as they have already made many changes in the search ranking algorithm, and recently, they made the speed of the website also a part of the algorithm. The faster websites get maximum support from Google.
What is Apache and Its Benefits?
Apache, which is also known as Apache HTTP Server or httpd, refers to an open-source cross-platform web server that offers web content through the Internet. It was designed by Tim Berners Lee and released in 1995. Apache acquired popularity quickly, and now it is maintained by the Apache Software Foundation. Just like all web servers, Apache hosts Web content, such as HTML pages, PHP files, and audio and video, and serves the content to users when they visit a website.
In addition, it is the finest choice among server administrators because of its architectural simplicity, flexibility, power compatibility, and multi-platform support. It is compatible with almost all operating systems, such as Windows, UNIX, NetWare, etc.
Key Benefits of Apache
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It is an open-source project, which makes it free to use and enables community developers to extend and modify it easily.
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It is flexible due to its presence of dynamic modules.
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It is compatible with Unix-like OS, such as Linux, BSD, etc, and MS Windows.
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It has a vast community and easily available support in case of any issue.
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It has optimal deliverability for static files and is compatible with any programming language.
Differentiate Between Apache and NGINX
| Feature | Apache | NGINX |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system support | Operating system sFully compatible with Linux, BSD, and other Unix-like systems, along with complete Windows supportText, Image, Audio | Operates mainly on Unix-like systems with limited Windows support. |
| Basic Architecture | Uses a process-driven, multi-threaded model where each request may spawn a new process or thread. | Uses an event-driven, single-threaded model that manages different requests within one thread. |
| Dynamic Content Handling | Processes dynamic content directly within the web server. | It doesn’t process dynamic content internally; it depends on external processors like PHP-FPM. |
| Traffic Handling | Struggles to manage several concurrent client requests under heavy load. | Efficiently manages several concurrent client requests and performs reliably under heavy traffic. |
| Usage Purpose | Mainly designed to function as a web server. | Designed as both a web server and a reverse proxy server. |
Thus, the two most widely used web servers nowadays are NGINX and Apache. Your needs play a major role in determining which server is ideal for you, and matching those needs to the server's capabilities will assist in determining the optimal choice. You may decide to take one, both, or even a different route based on your requirements and experience.
