Nginx vs Apache comparison - CLI Comparison

Introduction

Web servers help deliver websites to users. Nginx and Apache are two popular web servers. They solve the problem of serving web pages efficiently but work differently under the hood.

When you want a web server that handles many users at the same time with low memory use

When you need a web server that supports many plugins and modules for customization

When you want to serve static files like images and videos very fast

When you want to run complex web applications that need .htaccess support

When you want to reverse proxy and load balance traffic to multiple backend servers

Commands

Check the installed version of Nginx to confirm it is available on your system.

Terminal

nginx -v

Expected Output

nginx version: nginx/1.24.0

Check the installed version of Apache to confirm it is available on your system.

Terminal

apache2 -v

Expected Output

Server version: Apache/2.4.54 (Ubuntu)

Server built: 2024-05-01T12:00:00

Check if the Nginx service is running to serve web pages.

Terminal

systemctl status nginx

Expected Output

● nginx.service - A high performance web server and a reverse proxy server

   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/nginx.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)

   Active: active (running) since Fri 2024-06-14 10:00:00 UTC; 5min ago

Check if the Apache service is running to serve web pages.

Terminal

systemctl status apache2

Expected Output

● apache2.service - The Apache HTTP Server

   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/apache2.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)

   Active: active (running) since Fri 2024-06-14 10:05:00 UTC; 3min ago

Key Concept

If you remember nothing else, remember: Nginx uses an event-driven model for high performance with many users, while Apache uses a process-driven model that is highly customizable.

Common Mistakes

Trying to use Apache configuration files directly with Nginx

Nginx and Apache use different configuration formats and directives, so configs are not interchangeable.

Write separate configuration files for Nginx and Apache following their syntax.

Assuming Nginx supports .htaccess files like Apache

.htaccess is an Apache feature and does not work with Nginx, which uses centralized config files.

Configure all settings in Nginx main config files and reload the service.

Summary

Nginx and Apache are both web servers but use different methods to handle web traffic.

Nginx is better for handling many users with low memory by using an event-driven model.

Apache is more customizable with many modules and supports .htaccess files for per-directory settings.