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NGINX

nginx.org

Free plan WindowsmacOSLinuxSelf-hosted
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Spec score 7.9 #13 of 36 in Web Server Software

What it is

NGINX is a free, self-hosted HTTP web server and traffic proxy. It can serve web content, cache responses, balance loads, proxy TCP and UDP traffic, and handle mail proxying. Reverse proxying supports caching, load balancing, and fault tolerance, with integrations for FastCGI, uwsgi, SCGI, and memcached servers. Listed HTTP capabilities include SSL/TLS SNI, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3; WebSockets, rate limiting, and TLS termination are also specified. Configuration uses files, and response caching is supported, but no web application firewall is listed. NGINX uses one master process and several worker processes running under an unprivileged user. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, or as a self-hosted deployment. Downloads include mainline, stable, and legacy versions, source code, Windows builds, and Linux packages. The software is distributed under the 2-clause BSD License and maintained by F5.

Spec sheet

What it does
NGINX is an HTTP web server, reverse proxy, content cache, load balancer, TCP/UDP proxy server, and mail proxy server.Read 29 Sep 2026 · nginx.org
License
NGINX is distributed under the 2-clause BSD License.Read 29 Sep 2026 · nginx.org
Application integrations
It supports caching and load balancing for FastCGI, uwsgi, SCGI, and memcached servers.Read 29 Sep 2026 · nginx.org
Commercial support
F5 offers commercial support for NGINX through its Open Source Subscription Bundles.Read 29 Sep 2026 · nginx.org
Downloads
The download page lists mainline, stable, and legacy versions, Windows builds, source code, and Linux packages.Read 29 Sep 2026 · nginx.org
Enterprise editions
F5 provides enterprise distributions of NGINX, including NGINX Plus.Read 29 Sep 2026 · nginx.org
Linux distributions
Official packages are listed for RHEL and derivatives, Debian, Ubuntu, SLES, Alpine, and Amazon Linux.Read 29 Sep 2026 · nginx.org
Maintainer
F5, Inc. is identified as NGINX's primary maintainer, sponsor, and steward since its 2019 acquisition of NGINX, Inc.Read 29 Sep 2026 · nginx.org
Package security
The Linux package instructions describe verifying packages with official signing keys and signatures.Read 29 Sep 2026 · nginx.org
Process model
NGINX uses one master process and several worker processes, which run under an unprivileged user.Read 29 Sep 2026 · nginx.org
Scripting
The feature list includes the njs scripting language.Read 29 Sep 2026 · nginx.org
Security advisories
The security page lists vulnerabilities, severity, affected versions, and versions that are not vulnerable.Read 29 Sep 2026 · nginx.org
Traffic handling
It supports accelerated reverse proxying with caching, load balancing, and fault tolerance.Read 29 Sep 2026 · nginx.org
Web protocols
Its listed HTTP features include SSL/TLS SNI, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3 support.Read 29 Sep 2026 · nginx.org

Plans and prices

NGINX Open Source Free HTTP web server · reverse proxy · content cache · load balancer · TCP/UDP proxy · mail proxy Read 29 Sep 2026 · nginx.org

Every NGINX plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free free plan
  • Supports HTTP/2 and HTTP/3
  • Includes response caching and rate limiting
  • Runs with unprivileged worker processes
  • Linux packages and Windows builds available

Limits

  • No web application firewall listed
  • Configuration is file-based
  • Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure
  • Commercial support and enterprise editions are separate offerings

Who it suits

NGINX suits people running their own web infrastructure on Linux, macOS, or Windows. It fits deployments needing HTTP serving, proxying, caching, load balancing, or protocol support.

Verdict

NGINX combines web serving, multiple proxy roles, caching, and load balancing in a self-hosted package.

Where Specifiction places it

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