Location matching priority order in Nginx - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is the order of location matching priority in nginx?

nginx matches locations in this order: 1) Exact match (=), 2) Longest prefix match, 3) Regular expression (~ or ~*), 4) If no match, default location (/).

beginner

What does the '=' symbol mean in an nginx location block?

The '=' symbol means an exact match. nginx will serve this location only if the request URI exactly matches the location path.

intermediate

How does nginx handle multiple prefix locations that match a request URI?

nginx chooses the longest matching prefix location among those without '=' or regex modifiers.

intermediate

What is the difference between '~' and '~*' in nginx location blocks?

'~' means case-sensitive regular expression match, while '~*' means case-insensitive regular expression match.

beginner

What happens if no location matches a request URI in nginx?

nginx uses the default location '/' if no other location matches the request URI.

Which location block does nginx check first when matching a request URI?

A Regular expression (~ or ~*)

B Longest prefix match

C Exact match (=)

D Default location (/)

nginx first checks for an exact match location block marked with '='.

If multiple prefix locations match, which one does nginx choose?

A Longest prefix

B Shortest prefix

C First defined in config

D Random

nginx selects the longest matching prefix location.

What does the '~*' modifier mean in an nginx location?

A Prefix match

B Case-sensitive regex

C Exact match

D Case-insensitive regex

'~*' means case-insensitive regular expression match.

When does nginx use the default location '/'?

A Always

B If no other location matches

C Only for exact matches

D Only for regex matches

nginx uses the default location '/' if no other location matches the request URI.

Which location type has the lowest priority in nginx matching?

A Default location (/)

B Prefix match

C Exact match (=)

D Regular expression (~ or ~*)

The default location '/' is used only if no other location matches.

Explain the priority order nginx uses to match a request URI to a location block.

Think about how nginx tries to find the most specific match first.

Describe the difference between prefix match and regular expression match in nginx location blocks.

Consider how nginx interprets the location block modifiers.