Difference between Apache and Nginx

The key distinction between Apache and Nginx is the architectural methodology of operating client requests, Apache is a process-based system spawning a new thread or process per connection whereas Nginx is an asynchronous event-based system, capable of supporting thousands of connections per thread.

When to Use Nginx

Nginx is not only the most appropriate when it comes to high-traffic settings but also contemporary infrastructure designs.

• High-traffic sites: The efficient event-based architecture of it enables it to support thousands of connections at a time using little memory and CPU resources, which makes it an excellent choice in large sites with high traffic, such as Netflix and WordPress.com.

• Delivery of static contents: Nginx is much faster in serving static files (images, CSS, HTML files) since it does not require file system lookups, process overhead that is involved in per-directory settings.

• Reverse proxy and load balancing: Nginx was created to perform well as a reverse proxy which will distribute the traffic to a bunch of servers as the backend to enhance reliability and performance.

When to Use Apache

The Apache is characterized by its diversity, simplicity, and rich module framework, which makes it applicable to much diverse hosting requirements.

• Sharing: The feature of shared hosting enables non-privileged users to maintain certain directory settings (such as URL rewrites or access control) without having to log in to the root server configuration.

• Dynamic content manipulation Apache is capable of executing dynamic languages such as PHP, Perl, and Python automatically in its worker processes that makes it a little easier to set up certain applications.

• Wide support on operating systems: Apache has a stable support on all production-ready on all major operating systems such as Windows, Linux and macOS.

• It is also customary to run both of them simultaneously, where Nginx serves as a high-speed reverse proxy frontend to receive all the initial requests and static data, and forward the dynamic ones to a powerful Apache backend.