Why caching improves response times in Nginx - Test Your Understanding

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to enable basic caching in nginx.

Nginx

proxy_cache_path /var/cache/nginx levels=1:2 keys_zone=my_cache:10m [1] inactive=60m;

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Amax_size=10g

Bmax_size=1g

Cmax_size=100m

Dmax_size=500m

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using too small cache size limits caching benefits.

Omitting the max_size directive.

The max_size directive sets the maximum size of the cache. Setting it to 1 gigabyte allows nginx to store cached files up to that size, improving response times by serving cached content.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to enable caching for a proxy location in nginx.

Nginx

location /api/ {
    proxy_cache my_cache;
    proxy_pass http://backend_server;
    proxy_cache_valid 200 [1];
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A1h

B10m

C30s

D5h

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Setting cache time too short, reducing caching benefits.

Using invalid time format.

The proxy_cache_valid directive sets how long a successful response (status 200) is cached. Setting it to 1 hour means nginx will serve cached content for one hour, improving response times.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the caching configuration to properly enable caching.

Nginx

proxy_cache_path /var/cache/nginx levels=1:2 keys_zone=my_cache:10m max_size=1g inactive=60m;

location /static/ {
    proxy_pass http://backend;
    proxy_cache [1];
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Acache_zone

Bmycache

Ccache_my

Dmy_cache

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Misspelling the cache zone name.

Using a different name than defined.

The proxy_cache directive must match the name of the cache zone defined in keys_zone. Here, it is my_cache. Using a different name causes caching not to work.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to configure nginx to cache only GET requests and bypass caching for POST requests.

Nginx

proxy_cache_methods [1];
proxy_cache_bypass [2];

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AGET

BPOST

CPUT

DDELETE

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Caching POST requests causing stale data.

Not specifying methods correctly.

proxy_cache_methods GET; tells nginx to cache only GET requests. proxy_cache_bypass POST; tells nginx to bypass cache for POST requests, ensuring dynamic data is not cached.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a cache key that includes the host, URI, and query string.

Nginx

proxy_cache_key [1]$host:$request_uri[2]$query_string;

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A"

B_

C:

D-

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Missing quotes causing syntax errors.

Using wrong separators causing cache misses.

The cache key is a string combining host, URI, and query string. Quotes " wrap the key. Colons : and underscores _ separate parts for clarity and uniqueness.