Apache HTTP Server vs NGINX vs OpenResty

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Apache HTTP Server

64.4K
22.5K
+ 1
1.4K
NGINX

113.1K
60.7K
+ 1
5.5K
OpenResty

2.3K
226
+ 1
0

Apache HTTP Server vs OpenResty vs nginx: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will explore the key differences between Apache HTTP Server, OpenResty, and Nginx. These are all popular web servers used for hosting websites and applications. Each of these servers has its own unique features and capabilities, making them suitable for different use cases.

  1. Architecture: Apache HTTP Server follows a traditional architecture where each incoming request spawns a new thread or process to handle it. On the other hand, Nginx and OpenResty follow an event-driven architecture, which enables them to handle a large number of concurrent connections efficiently. This makes them more suitable for high-performance applications with a large number of simultaneous requests.

  2. Modules and Extensions: Apache HTTP Server has a vast ecosystem of modules and extensions, which allows it to be highly customizable. It supports a wide range of programming languages and frameworks. Nginx also has a good number of modules available, but the selection is relatively smaller compared to Apache. OpenResty, on the other hand, is built upon Nginx and provides an extensive set of Lua-based modules, specifically designed for building API gateways, web applications, and microservices.

  3. Performance and Scalability: Nginx and OpenResty are known for their high performance and low resource consumption. They are designed to handle a large number of concurrent connections and are often used as reverse proxies or load balancers. Apache HTTP Server, although being a highly mature and stable web server, may require more resources to handle the same amount of traffic compared to Nginx or OpenResty.

  4. Configuration and Syntax: Apache HTTP Server uses an Apache-specific configuration syntax, often referred to as "httpd.conf". It has a rich set of directives and allows complex configurations. Nginx, on the other hand, uses a simple and intuitive configuration syntax. The configuration is split into separate files, making it easier to manage. OpenResty inherits the Nginx configuration syntax and extends it with additional directives related to Lua modules.

  5. Community and Support: Apache HTTP Server has been around for a long time and has a large and vibrant community. It has extensive documentation and a wide range of resources available online. Nginx also has a strong and active community, although relatively smaller compared to Apache. OpenResty has a growing community with a focus on Lua programming, and there are resources dedicated explicitly to OpenResty.

  6. SSL/TLS Support: Nginx has native support for SSL/TLS and provides ease of implementation for securing websites and applications. Apache HTTP Server also supports SSL/TLS using its mod_ssl module but may require additional configuration. OpenResty, being based on Nginx, inherits its SSL/TLS capabilities and provides seamless integration with Lua modules.

In summary, Apache HTTP Server, Nginx, and OpenResty have various differences in their architecture, modules, performance, configuration syntax, community support, and SSL/TLS capabilities. Understanding these differences can help in choosing the most suitable web server for specific use cases.

Advice on Apache HTTP Server, NGINX, and OpenResty

I am diving into web development, both front and back end. I feel comfortable with administration, scripting and moderate coding in bash, Python and C++, but I am also a Windows fan (i love inner conflict). What are the votes on web servers? IIS is expensive and restrictive (has Windows adoption of open source changed this?) Apache has the history but seems to be at the root of most of my Infosec issues, and I know nothing about nginx (is it too new to rely on?). And no, I don't know what I want to do on the web explicitly, but hosting and data storage (both cloud and tape) are possibilities. Ready, aim fire!

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Replies (1)
Simon Aronsson
Developer Advocate at k6 / Load Impact · | 4 upvotes · 710.6K views
Recommends
on
NGINXNGINX

I would pick nginx over both IIS and Apace HTTP Server any day. Combine it with docker, and as you grow maybe even traefik, and you'll have a really flexible solution for serving http content where you can take sites and projects up and down without effort, easily move it between systems and dont have to handle any dependencies on your actual local machine.

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Needs advice
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Apache HTTP ServerApache HTTP Server
and
NGINXNGINX

From a StackShare Community member: "We are a LAMP shop currently focused on improving web performance for our customers. We have made many front-end optimizations and now we are considering replacing Apache with nginx. I was wondering if others saw a noticeable performance gain or any other benefits by switching."

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Replies (3)
Recommends
on
NGINXNGINX

I use nginx because it is very light weight. Where Apache tries to include everything in the web server, nginx opts to have external programs/facilities take care of that so the web server can focus on efficiently serving web pages. While this can seem inefficient, it limits the number of new bugs found in the web server, which is the element that faces the client most directly.

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Leandro Barral
Recommends
on
NGINXNGINX

I use nginx because its more flexible and easy to configure

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Christian Cwienk
Software Developer at SAP · | 1 upvotes · 677.1K views
Recommends
on
Apache HTTP ServerApache HTTP Server

I use Apache HTTP Server because it's intuitive, comprehensive, well-documented, and just works

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Decisions about Apache HTTP Server, NGINX, and OpenResty
Grant Steuart
  • Server rendered HTML output from PHP is being migrated to the client as Vue.js components, future plans to provide additional content, and other new miscellaneous features all result in a substantial increase of static files needing to be served from the server. NGINX has better performance than Apache for serving static content.
  • The change to NGINX will require switching from PHP to PHP-FPM resulting in a distributed architecture with a higher complexity configuration, but this is outweighed by PHP-FPM being faster than PHP for processing requests.
  • The NGINX + PHP-FPM setup now allows for horizontally scaling of resources rather vertically scaling the previously combined Apache + PHP resources.
  • PHP shell tasks can now efficiently be decoupled from the application reducing main application footprint and allow for scaling of tasks on an individual basis.
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I was in a situation where I have to configure 40 RHEL servers 20 each for Apache HTTP Server and Tomcat server. My task was to 1. configure LVM with required logical volumes, format and mount for HTTP and Tomcat servers accordingly. 2. Install apache and tomcat. 3. Generate and apply selfsigned certs to http server. 4. Modify default ports on Tomcat to different ports. 5. Create users on RHEL for application support team. 6. other administrative tasks like, start, stop and restart HTTP and Tomcat services.

I have utilized the power of ansible for all these tasks, which made it easy and manageable.

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Pros of Apache HTTP Server
Pros of NGINX
Pros of OpenResty
  • 479
    Web server
  • 305
    Most widely-used web server
  • 217
    Virtual hosting
  • 148
    Fast
  • 138
    Ssl support
  • 44
    Since 1996
  • 28
    Asynchronous
  • 5
    Robust
  • 4
    Proven over many years
  • 2
    Mature
  • 2
    Perfomance
  • 1
    Perfect Support
  • 0
    Many available modules
  • 0
    Many available modules
  • 1.4K
    High-performance http server
  • 894
    Performance
  • 730
    Easy to configure
  • 607
    Open source
  • 530
    Load balancer
  • 289
    Free
  • 288
    Scalability
  • 226
    Web server
  • 175
    Simplicity
  • 136
    Easy setup
  • 30
    Content caching
  • 21
    Web Accelerator
  • 15
    Capability
  • 14
    Fast
  • 12
    High-latency
  • 12
    Predictability
  • 8
    Reverse Proxy
  • 7
    The best of them
  • 7
    Supports http/2
  • 5
    Great Community
  • 5
    Lots of Modules
  • 5
    Enterprise version
  • 4
    High perfomance proxy server
  • 3
    Embedded Lua scripting
  • 3
    Streaming media delivery
  • 3
    Streaming media
  • 3
    Reversy Proxy
  • 2
    Blash
  • 2
    GRPC-Web
  • 2
    Lightweight
  • 2
    Fast and easy to set up
  • 2
    Slim
  • 2
    saltstack
  • 1
    Virtual hosting
  • 1
    Narrow focus. Easy to configure. Fast
  • 1
    Along with Redis Cache its the Most superior
  • 1
    Ingress controller
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    Cons of Apache HTTP Server
    Cons of NGINX
    Cons of OpenResty
    • 4
      Hard to set up
    • 10
      Advanced features require subscription
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      - No public GitHub repository available -

      What is Apache HTTP Server?

      The Apache HTTP Server is a powerful and flexible HTTP/1.1 compliant web server. Originally designed as a replacement for the NCSA HTTP Server, it has grown to be the most popular web server on the Internet.

      What is NGINX?

      nginx [engine x] is an HTTP and reverse proxy server, as well as a mail proxy server, written by Igor Sysoev. According to Netcraft nginx served or proxied 30.46% of the top million busiest sites in Jan 2018.

      What is OpenResty?

      OpenResty (aka. ngx_openresty) is a full-fledged web application server by bundling the standard Nginx core, lots of 3rd-party Nginx modules, as well as most of their external dependencies.

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      What are some alternatives to Apache HTTP Server, NGINX, and OpenResty?
      Apache Tomcat
      Apache Tomcat powers numerous large-scale, mission-critical web applications across a diverse range of industries and organizations.
      JBoss
      An application platform for hosting your apps that provides an innovative modular, cloud-ready architecture, powerful management and automation, and world class developer productivity.
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      It consists mainly of the Apache HTTP Server, MariaDB database, and interpreters for scripts written in the PHP and Perl programming languages.
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