HTTP caching and security performance optimization in Nginx

Nginx is a high-performance web server and reverse proxy server software. Its high performance and reliability are due to its excellent HTTP caching and security performance. This article will introduce in detail how to optimize the performance of Nginx from two aspects: Nginx's HTTP caching and security performance.

1. HTTP caching optimization

HTTP caching is one of the important means of Web performance optimization. It can greatly improve the response speed and user experience of Web applications. In Nginx, we can improve website performance by configuring HTTP caching.

1. Caching static resources

Static resources include CSS, JavaScript, pictures, etc. The content of these resources often does not change frequently, so they can be cached to reduce client interaction. requests between servers. In Nginx, we can use the expires directive to control the cache expiration time. For example:

location /static/ {
    expires 30d;
}

means that the static resources in the /static/ directory will expire after 30 days.

2. Caching dynamic pages

The content of dynamic pages can be dynamically generated based on request parameters, cookies, etc., so it cannot be cached directly on the client like static resources. But we can cache the dynamic page on the server side. When there is the same request next time, the cached result will be returned directly to avoid regenerating the page. In Nginx, we can use the proxy_cache directive to configure the cache. For example:

proxy_cache_path /var/cache/nginx levels=1:2 keys_zone=my_cache:10m;
server {
    location / {
        proxy_cache my_cache;
        proxy_pass http://backend;
    }
}

Here we set up a cache area named my_cache and store the cache results in the /var/cache/nginx directory. Then configure the proxy_cache directive in the location to enable caching.

3. Use cache negotiation mechanism

The cache negotiation mechanism means that when the client requests resources, it first sends an If-Modified-Since or If-None-Match condition. When requesting to the server, if the cached resources have not changed, the server returns a 304 Not Modified status code, and the client can continue to use the cached resources, thus reducing bandwidth and response time. In Nginx, we can use the proxy_cache_revalidate directive to enable the cache negotiation mechanism. For example:

location / {
    proxy_cache my_cache;
    proxy_cache_revalidate on;
    proxy_pass http://backend;
}

Here we only need to add the proxy_cache_revalidate directive in location.

2. Security Performance Optimization

Security performance optimization refers to improving application performance as much as possible while ensuring the security of web applications. As a high-performance web server and reverse proxy server software, Nginx must not only ensure the high performance of the application, but also ensure the security of the application.

1. HTTPS encrypted communication

HTTPS is an extension of the HTTP protocol and uses the SSL/TLS protocol to encrypt and decrypt data to achieve secure transmission of data. In Nginx, we can use the ssl_certificate and ssl_certificate_key directives to configure SSL certificates and private keys. For example:

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name example.com;

    ssl_certificate /path/to/cert.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /path/to/key.pem;

    location / {
        ...
    }
}

2. HTTP defense attack

Common attack methods in web applications include SQL injection, cross-site scripting attacks (XSS), and cross-site request forgery (CSRF) wait. In Nginx, we can use modules to defend against these attacks.

(1) SQL injection

SQL injection means that the attacker bypasses the authentication and authorization mechanism of the application by constructing special SQL statements, or directly executes malicious SQL statements, thus Causing data leakage and corruption. In Nginx, we can use the HttpSqlInjectionModule module to defend against SQL injection. For example:

location / {
    sql_injection on;
    ...
}

(2) XSS attack

XSS attack means that the attacker injects malicious scripts into the Web page to obtain the user's sensitive information or control the user's browser. In Nginx, we can use the HttpXssModule module to defend against XSS attacks. For example:

location / {
    xss on;
    ...
}

(3) CSRF attack

CSRF attack refers to an attacker impersonating a user to perform illegal operations in a trusted web application, thereby causing damage. In Nginx, we can use the HttpCsrfModule module to defend against CSRF attacks. For example:

location / {
    csrf on;
    ...
}

In summary, this article introduces in detail how to optimize the performance of Nginx from two aspects: Nginx’s HTTP cache and security performance. By properly using HTTP cache, we can improve the response speed and user experience of the application; by using SSL certificates and modules, we can ensure the security of the application and defend against various attacks.

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