https://www.packtpub.com/nginx-http-server-for-web-applications/book
In detail
This book serves as a detailed guide to setting up Nginx in different production situations: as standalone server, as reverse proxy, interacting with applications via FastCGI, and more. In addition, the complete directive reference will be your best friend at all stages of the configuration and maintenance processes.
This book is the perfect companion for both Nginx beginners and experienced administrators. For the former, it will take you through the complete process of setting up this lightweight HTTP server on your system and configuring its various modules to get it to do exactly what you need, in a fast and secure way. For the latter, it provides different angles of approach that can help you make the most of your current infrastructure. As the book progresses, it provides a complete reference to all the modules and directives of Nginx. It will explain how to replace your existing server with Nginx or configure Nginx to work as a frontend for your existing server.
By the end of this book, you will be geared up to implement Nginx as a web server that will boost the speed of all your web applications.
What you will learn from this book
- Download and build Nginx from source along with its dependencies
- Learn the basics of Nginx configuration: syntax, structure, and semantics
- Create virtual host configurations effortlessly
- Discover how to enable, configure, and use all first-party modules
- Establish advanced rewrite rules with the Nginx Rewrite module
- Set up Nginx to work with PHP, Python, and more via FastCGI
- Configure Nginx to work as frontend for your existing HTTP server
- Complete the process of replacing Apache by Nginx
- Follow three practical examples on how to port your Apache rewrite rules
- Find your way through the configuration with the complete detailed directive reference
- Troubleshooting: know where to start looking if something goes wrong
Approach
The book includes detailed instructions for each of the processes it describes: downloading and installing the application, configuring and using modules, and much more. It provides a step-by-step tutorial to replace your existing web server with Nginx. With commented configuration sections and in-depth module descriptions, you will be able to make the most of the performance potential offered by Nginx.
Comments
I've browsed the book.
It seems like a good starting point for setting up nginx, first as load balancer/front end, then as a backend also, doing away with Apache.
I think it could have been more ambitious if it delved deeper in Nginx architectural issues. There's very little information regarding SSL/TLS in Nginx. No explanation of why SSLv2 is insecure, no explanation of insecure cipher suites, &c.
Why waste time explaining Linux filesystem stuff in a book about a web server?
Instead the space could have been more profitably used by delving deeper into issues like security and SSL/TLS. Also Nginx architecture and an advanced chapter about Nginx module development.
If I had to give it a rating: 2 out of 5.
Best place to learn nginx: here, at the nginx wiki, in the nginx ML, in the #nginx IRC channel.
Furhermore in a fast evolving free software project like Nginx a book quickly becomes obsolete if it's just too specific instead of embracing larger issues like architectural decisions, why nginx beats Apache and so on.
I agree with you
Hello Perusio. I agree with you.
"Why waste time explaining Linux filesystem stuff in a book about a web server?"
~80 pages
"Instead the space could have been more profitably used by delving deeper into issues like security and SSL/TLS. Also Nginx architecture and an advanced chapter about Nginx module development."
But, I still think that is a god book. Specially for beginners. Talk about good practice, etc. But instead of linux things, I agree that we need some advanced topics.
Sad
In all honesty, I was pretty disappointed in this book. I was extremely excited to get my version to be reviewed but when I opened it, there were more mistakes than I could count. I did a review of this book actually. http://profarius.com/content/nginx-book-review
Michael Lustfield
Ubuntu Member, Nginx Hacker