Regex match (~, ~*) in Nginx - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the ~ operator do in nginx configuration?

The ~ operator tells nginx to perform a case-sensitive regular expression match on the requested URI.

beginner

What is the difference between ~ and ~* in nginx?

~ is for case-sensitive regex matching, while ~* is for case-insensitive regex matching.

intermediate

How would nginx treat the location block location ~* \.jpg$?

It matches any URI ending with '.jpg' or '.JPG' or any case variation, because ~* makes the regex case-insensitive.

intermediate

Why use regex matching in nginx locations instead of prefix matching?

Regex matching allows flexible and precise matching patterns, like matching file extensions or specific URI patterns that prefix matching can't handle.

advanced

What happens if multiple location blocks match a request in nginx?

Nginx first checks prefix matches, then regex matches in order. The first matching regex location is used. Regex locations have higher priority than prefix matches if they match.

Which nginx operator performs a case-insensitive regex match?

A ^~

B ~*

C =

D ~

The ~* operator performs case-insensitive regex matching.

What does the ~ operator in nginx do?

A Prefix match

B Case-insensitive regex match

C Exact match

D Case-sensitive regex match

The ~ operator performs a case-sensitive regex match.

Which location block matches URIs ending with '.PNG' or '.png'?

A location ~* \.png$

B location ~ \.png$

C location = \.png$

D location ^~ \.png$

~* makes the regex case-insensitive, matching '.PNG' and '.png'.

If both prefix and regex locations match a request, which does nginx choose?

A Regex location

B Prefix location

C The longer prefix location

D The first defined location

Nginx prefers regex locations over prefix locations if a regex matches.

What symbol is used for exact match in nginx location blocks?

A ~*

B ~

C =

D ^~

The = symbol is used for exact URI matches.

Explain the difference between ~ and ~* operators in nginx location blocks.

Think about how uppercase and lowercase letters are treated.

Describe how nginx decides which location block to use when multiple blocks match a request.

Consider the matching order and priority rules.