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Last active June 16, 2025 13:59
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# Generated by nginxconfig.io
# See nginxconfig.txt for the configuration share link
# Note in comments by Harisfazillah Jamel and Google Gemini
# 15 Jun 2025
user www-data;
pid /run/nginx.pid;
worker_processes auto;
worker_rlimit_nofile 65535;
# Load modules
include /etc/nginx/modules-enabled/*.conf;
events {
multi_accept on;
worker_connections 65535;
}
http {
charset utf-8;
sendfile on;
tcp_nopush on;
tcp_nodelay on;
server_tokens off;
types_hash_max_size 2048;
types_hash_bucket_size 64;
client_max_body_size 16M;
# MIME
include mime.types;
default_type application/octet-stream;
# Log Format
log_format cloudflare '$remote_addr - $remote_user [$time_local] "$request" $status $body_bytes_sent "$http_referer" "$http_user_agent" $http_cf_ray $http_cf_connecting_ip $http_x_forwarded_for $http_x_forwarded_proto $http_true_client_ip $http_cf_ipcountry $http_cf_visitor $http_cdn_loop';
# Logging
access_log off;
error_log /var/log/nginx/error.log warn;
# Limits
limit_req_log_level warn;
limit_req_zone $binary_remote_addr zone=login:10m rate=10r/m;
# SSL
ssl_session_timeout 1d;
ssl_session_cache shared:SSL:10m;
ssl_session_tickets off;
# Mozilla Modern configuration
ssl_protocols TLSv1.3;
# OCSP Stapling
ssl_stapling on;
ssl_stapling_verify on;
resolver 1.1.1.1 1.0.0.1 [2606:4700:4700::1111] [2606:4700:4700::1001] 8.8.8.8 8.8.4.4 [2001:4860:4860::8888] [2001:4860:4860::8844] 208.67.222.222 208.67.220.220 [2620:119:35::35] [2620:119:53::53] 9.9.9.9 149.112.112.112 [2620:fe::fe] [2620:fe::9] 64.6.64.6 64.6.65.6 [2620:74:1b::1:1] [2620:74:1c::2:2] valid=60s;
resolver_timeout 2s;
# Connection header for WebSocket reverse proxy
map $http_upgrade $connection_upgrade {
default upgrade;
"" close;
}
map $remote_addr $proxy_forwarded_elem {
# IPv4 addresses can be sent as-is
~^[0-9.]+$ "for=$remote_addr";
# IPv6 addresses need to be bracketed and quoted
~^[0-9A-Fa-f:.]+$ "for=\"[$remote_addr]\"";
# Unix domain socket names cannot be represented in RFC 7239 syntax
default "for=unknown";
}
map $http_forwarded $proxy_add_forwarded {
# If the incoming Forwarded header is syntactically valid, append to it
"~^(,[ \\t]*)*([!#$%&'*+.^_`|~0-9A-Za-z-]+=([!#$%&'*+.^_`|~0-9A-Za-z-]+|\"([\\t \\x21\\x23-\\x5B\\x5D-\\x7E\\x80-\\xFF]|\\\\[\\t \\x21-\\x7E\\x80-\\xFF])*\"))?(;([!#$%&'*+.^_`|~0-9A-Za-z-]+=([!#$%&'*+.^_`|~0-9A-Za-z-]+|\"([\\t \\x21\\x23-\\x5B\\x5D-\\x7E\\x80-\\xFF]|\\\\[\\t \\x21-\\x7E\\x80-\\xFF])*\"))?)*([ \\t]*,([ \\t]*([!#$%&'*+.^_`|~0-9A-Za-z-]+=([!#$%&'*+.^_`|~0-9A-Za-z-]+|\"([\\t \\x21\\x23-\\x5B\\x5D-\\x7E\\x80-\\xFF]|\\\\[\\t \\x21-\\x7E\\x80-\\xFF])*\"))?(;([!#$%&'*+.^_`|~0-9A-Za-z-]+=([!#$%&'*+.^_`|~0-9A-Za-z-]+|\"([\\t \\x21\\x23-\\x5B\\x5D-\\x7E\\x80-\\xFF]|\\\\[\\t \\x21-\\x7E\\x80-\\xFF])*\"))?)*)?)*$" "$http_forwarded, $proxy_forwarded_elem";
# Otherwise, replace it
default "$proxy_forwarded_elem";
}
# --- NGINX CACHE CONFIGURATION START ---
# Define a cache zone named 'my_cache'
# Keys will be stored in memory (10m)
# Total cache size will be 1g
# Inactive items will be removed after 60m
# Cache directory: /var/cache/nginx
proxy_cache_path /var/cache/nginx levels=1:2 keys_zone=my_cache:10m max_size=1g inactive=60m use_temp_path=off;
# --- NGINX CACHE CONFIGURATION END ---
# Load configs
include /etc/nginx/conf.d/*.conf;
# linuxmalaysia.com
server {
listen 443 ssl reuseport;
listen [::]:443 ssl reuseport;
http2 on;
server_name linuxmalaysia.com;
root /var/www/linuxmalaysia.com/public;
# SSL
ssl_certificate /etc/nginx/ssl/linuxmalaysia.com.crt;
ssl_certificate_key /etc/nginx/ssl/linuxmalaysia.com.key;
# security headers
add_header X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block" always;
add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" always;
add_header Referrer-Policy "no-referrer-when-downgrade" always;
add_header Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self' http: https: ws: wss: data: blob: 'unsafe-inline'; frame-ancestors 'self';" always;
add_header Permissions-Policy "interest-cohort=()" always;
add_header Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains; preload" always;
# . files
location ~ /\.(?!well-known) {
deny all;
}
# security.txt
location /security.txt {
return 301 /.well-known/security.txt;
}
location = /.well-known/security.txt {
alias ~/security.txt;
}
# restrict methods
if ($request_method !~ ^(GET|POST|PUT|HEAD|CONNECT)$) {
return '405';
}
# logging
access_log /var/log/nginx/access.log combined buffer=512k flush=1m;
error_log /var/log/nginx/error.log warn;
# reverse proxy
location / {
proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_http_version 1.1;
proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
# --- NGINX CACHE APPLICATION START ---
proxy_cache my_cache; # Use the defined cache zone
proxy_cache_valid 200 302 10m; # Cache successful responses for 10 minutes
proxy_cache_valid 404 1m; # Cache 404 responses for 1 minute
proxy_cache_key "$scheme$proxy_host$request_uri"; # Define the cache key
proxy_cache_min_uses 1; # Cache after 1 request
proxy_cache_revalidate on; # Revalidate stale content
proxy_cache_use_stale error timeout updating http_500 http_502 http_503 http_504; # Serve stale content on errors
# Add header to see if content is served from cache (optional, for debugging)
add_header X-Cache-Status $upstream_cache_status;
# --- NGINX CACHE APPLICATION END ---
# Proxy SSL
proxy_ssl_server_name on;
# Proxy headers
proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
proxy_set_header Connection $connection_upgrade;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
proxy_set_header Forwarded $proxy_add_forwarded;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Port $server_port;
# Proxy timeouts
proxy_connect_timeout 60s;
proxy_send_timeout 60s;
proxy_read_timeout 60s;
}
# favicon.ico
location = /favicon.ico {
log_not_found off;
}
# robots.txt
location = /robots.txt {
log_not_found off;
}
# # assets, media
# location ~* \.(?:css(\.map)?|js(\.map)?|jpe?g|png|gif|ico|cur|heic|webp|tiff?|mp3|m4a|aac|ogg|midi?|wav|mp4|mov|webm|mpe?g|avi|ogv|flv|wmv)$ {
# expires 7d;
# }
#
# # svg, fonts
# location ~* \.(?:svgz?|ttf|ttc|otf|eot|woff2?)$ {
# add_header Access-Control-Allow-Origin "*";
# expires 7d;
# }
# gzip
gzip on;
gzip_vary on;
gzip_proxied any;
gzip_comp_level 6;
gzip_types text/plain text/css text/xml application/json application/javascript application/rss+xml application/atom+xml image/svg+xml;
}
# HTTP redirect
server {
listen 80 reuseport;
listen [::]:80 reuseport;
server_name linuxmalaysia.com;
# logging
access_log /var/log/nginx/access.log combined buffer=512k flush=1m;
error_log /var/log/nginx/error.log warn;
return 301 https://linuxmalaysia.com$request_uri;
}
}
@linuxmalaysia
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Nginx Security and .well-known File Handling

You're configuring some important aspects of how Nginx handles specific files and directories, particularly those starting with a dot (.) and the security.txt file. These settings are crucial for both security and compliance with modern web standards.

Let's break down each of these location blocks:

1. location ~ /\.(?!well-known) { deny all; }

  • Explanation: This location block uses a regular expression to match requests for files or directories that start with a dot (.) but are NOT within the .well-known directory.
    • ~: Indicates a regular expression match (case-sensitive).
    • /\.: Matches a literal dot at the beginning of a path segment (like .htaccess, .env, .git).
    • (?!well-known): This is a negative lookahead assertion. It means "match a dot, but only if it's NOT followed by 'well-known'".
    • deny all;: If a request matches this pattern, Nginx will immediately deny access, returning a 403 Forbidden error.
  • Security Benefit: This is a critical security measure. Many sensitive files used by applications or version control systems (like .env for environment variables, .git for Git repositories, .htaccess for Apache configurations) start with a dot. Serving these files publicly could expose sensitive information, leading to severe security vulnerabilities. This directive ensures they are never served by Nginx.
  • Performance Impact: Negligible. It's a quick check and deny, which is very efficient.
  • Suggestion: Keep this as is. It's a fundamental security best practice.

2. location /security.txt { return 301 /.well-known/security.txt; }

  • Explanation: This location block handles requests for /security.txt. It issues a permanent redirect (301 Moved Permanently) to /.well-known/security.txt.
  • Security Benefit: The security.txt file is a proposed standard for website security, allowing security researchers to easily find contact information for reporting vulnerabilities. The official standard dictates it should be placed under the /.well-known/ directory. This redirect ensures that if someone (human or automated scanner) looks for the file at the old or common root location, they are guided to the correct, standardized location.
  • Performance Impact: Minor. It's a single HTTP redirect. The 301 status code tells browsers and search engines to cache the redirect, so subsequent requests go directly to the new location.
  • Suggestion: Keep this redirect. It helps with compliance and discoverability for security researchers.

3. location = /.well-known/security.txt { alias ~/security.txt; }

  • Explanation: This location block specifically handles requests for /.well-known/security.txt.
    • =: Denotes an exact match. This means this block will only process requests that precisely match /.well-known/security.txt.
    • alias ~/security.txt;: This is an important part.
      • alias: Specifies a different base path for the file than the root directive of the server block.
      • ~/security.txt: The tilde ~ symbol usually refers to the user's home directory. If Nginx is running as www-data, ~ would typically resolve to /var/www/. This implies your security.txt file is expected to be located at /var/www/security.txt (or /home/www-data/security.txt if that's the user's home).
  • Security Benefit: Correctly serves the security.txt file from a designated location, fulfilling the proposed standard for vulnerability reporting.
  • Performance Impact: Negligible. Serving a small static file is very efficient for Nginx.
  • Important Consideration / Suggestion:
    • File Location: You need to ensure that the security.txt file actually exists at the path specified by alias ~/security.txt. Based on your earlier root /var/www/linuxmalaysia.com/public; setting, a more common and explicit path for this would be alias /var/www/linuxmalaysia.com/security.txt; or even alias /etc/nginx/security.txt; if you prefer to keep it separate from your website's public directory.
    • User Permissions: The Nginx user (www-data) must have read permissions for the security.txt file at the alias path.

Overall Summary of these Directives:

These location blocks demonstrate good practices for managing specific file access and adhering to web standards:

  • The deny all for dotfiles is a crucial security hardened default.
  • The security.txt redirects and serving ensure you comply with a valuable security and transparency standard.

Your configuration for these elements is generally solid. The main point to double-check is the exact path of your security.txt file to ensure it aligns with the alias directive's interpretation of ~.

Is there anything else you'd like to understand about your Nginx setup, or any other parts of the configuration you'd like to review?

@linuxmalaysia
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Nginx Request Method Restriction

You're using an if directive to restrict the HTTP methods that Nginx will allow for requests. This is a security measure that can help protect your backend application from unexpected or potentially malicious requests using methods your application isn't designed to handle.

Let's break down this configuration:

  • if ($request_method !~ ^(GET|POST|PUT|HEAD|CONNECT)$) { ... }

    • if directive: This is a conditional statement in Nginx. While generally discouraged for complex logic (due to some known issues and performance characteristics with complex if blocks), for simple checks like this, it's often used.
    • $request_method: This is a built-in Nginx variable that holds the HTTP method of the current request (e.g., GET, POST, DELETE, OPTIONS).
    • !~: This is the "does not match" operator for regular expressions (case-sensitive).
    • ^(GET|POST|PUT|HEAD|CONNECT)$: This is the regular expression pattern.
      • ^: Matches the beginning of the string.
      • $: Matches the end of the string.
      • (GET|POST|PUT|HEAD|CONNECT): This is a group that matches any of the specified HTTP methods.
        • GET: Used to retrieve data.
        • POST: Used to submit data to be processed.
        • PUT: Used to create or replace a resource.
        • HEAD: Similar to GET, but requests only the headers, not the body.
        • CONNECT: Used to establish a tunnel to the server, primarily for proxies.
    • In summary: The if condition evaluates to true if the $request_method is not one of GET, POST, PUT, HEAD, or CONNECT.
  • return '405';

    • Explanation: If the if condition is true (i.e., the request method is not one of the allowed ones), Nginx will immediately return an HTTP 405 Method Not Allowed status code to the client. This tells the client that the method used is not supported for the requested resource.

Security Benefit

  • Method Filtering: This helps ensure that your backend application only receives requests using the HTTP methods it's designed to process.
  • Reduced Attack Surface: By explicitly denying unexpected methods, you can reduce the attack surface. For example, if your application doesn't implement DELETE or OPTIONS (which it likely should for REST APIs, but this is a generic setup), blocking them at the Nginx level can prevent potential vulnerabilities if these methods were somehow mishandled by your backend.
  • Compliance: Can help in scenarios where strict adherence to allowed methods is required.

Performance Impact

  • Minimal CPU/Memory: The impact on Nginx's CPU and memory is very minimal. Regular expression matching for a short string is a highly optimized operation. If a method is denied, Nginx returns the error immediately, consuming very few resources for that request.
  • Efficiency: For disallowed methods, Nginx efficiently terminates the request at the edge, preventing it from ever reaching your backend application. This saves CPU and resources on your backend that would otherwise be spent processing and rejecting an invalid request.

Suggestions

  • Consider your application's needs: Before implementing method restrictions, ensure that your backend application genuinely does not use any other HTTP methods.
    • For a typical RESTful API, you'd usually also allow DELETE and PATCH.
    • OPTIONS is commonly used for CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) preflight requests. If you have a frontend application on a different domain interacting with your backend, denying OPTIONS will break CORS.
  • Placement: This if block is typically placed within a server block or a specific location block. Placing it in the http block (which seems to be the case here, given the context of your previous snippets) applies it globally to all server blocks unless overridden. This is fine for a blanket restriction.
  • Nginx if directive caution: While this specific use case is generally considered acceptable for if, it's worth noting that the if directive can sometimes lead to unexpected behavior when combined with other directives, especially in more complex scenarios. For method restriction specifically, it's usually safe.

In summary, this if block is a simple yet effective security measure to restrict HTTP methods, contributing to a more robust and secure Nginx setup. Just ensure the allowed methods align with your application's actual requirements.

@linuxmalaysia
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Nginx Configuration for favicon.ico and robots.txt

These two location blocks are dedicated to handling requests for favicon.ico and robots.txt. While seemingly minor, they help optimize your Nginx logs and prevent unnecessary logging noise, which can be beneficial for performance in very high-traffic scenarios.

Let's look at each:

1. location = /favicon.ico { log_not_found off; }

  • Explanation: This block specifically targets requests for /favicon.ico.

    • location = /favicon.ico: The = sign ensures an exact match for this URI. Requests for favicon.ico (which is the small icon displayed in browser tabs) are very common.
    • log_not_found off;: This is the key part. It tells Nginx not to log 404 "file not found" errors to the error_log if favicon.ico isn't found.
  • Performance Impact:

    • Reduced Log Noise: Favicons are often requested automatically by browsers, and if the file doesn't exist (or isn't found at that exact path), it would generate a 404 error entry in your error_log. Turning log_not_found off keeps your error logs cleaner and more focused on actual issues.
    • Minimal CPU/Disk I/O: For very high-traffic sites, preventing thousands of 404 error log entries can save a tiny amount of CPU and disk I/O, as Nginx doesn't have to write these messages. This is more about efficiency and clean logs than a major performance boost.
  • Suggestion: Keep this setting. It's a standard and good practice for managing Nginx logs.


2. location = /robots.txt { log_not_found off; }

  • Explanation: This block is identical in purpose to the favicon.ico one, but it applies to /robots.txt.

    • location = /robots.txt: Ensures an exact match for the robots.txt file, which search engine crawlers (like Googlebot) request to understand your site's crawling rules.
    • log_not_found off;: Prevents 404 errors for robots.txt from being logged if the file isn't found.
  • Performance Impact:

    • Reduced Log Noise: Similar to favicon.ico, if robots.txt isn't present or found by Nginx, it would generate 404 entries. This directive keeps those out of your error logs.
    • Minimal CPU/Disk I/O: Again, this contributes to marginal savings in CPU and disk I/O by avoiding unnecessary log writes.
  • Suggestion: Keep this setting. It's another standard and good practice for log management.


Overall Summary

These directives don't directly enhance the speed of content delivery, but they are beneficial for the operational efficiency and clarity of your Nginx server. By explicitly turning off 404 logging for these commonly requested (and sometimes missing) files, you keep your error logs focused on more significant issues, making it easier to monitor and troubleshoot your server. This is especially useful for managing a web server like yours, which handles traffic in Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia, and globally.

@linuxmalaysia
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That's a very common if block you've got there! While it serves a good purpose in restricting HTTP methods, the general consensus in the Nginx community is to avoid if statements when possible due to potential unexpected behavior in certain complex scenarios.

However, for simple method checks like this, it's often deemed acceptable. If you're running a basic web server with a standard application (like a blog or a simple API), your current setup is likely fine and provides good security benefits by explicitly allowing only the methods your application expects.

Here are a few suggestions based on your current configuration and common Nginx practices:


1. Keep it as is (if your application strictly uses these methods)

If your application truly only relies on GET, POST, PUT, HEAD, and CONNECT methods, then your current if statement effectively limits unnecessary requests to your backend, providing a basic security layer.

  • Pros: Simple, readable, and immediately understood. It effectively filters unwanted methods at the Nginx edge.
  • Cons: Uses an if statement, which purists generally avoid, though its impact here is minimal.
  • Use Case: Ideal for applications that definitely don't use methods like DELETE, PATCH, or OPTIONS (e.g., a static site served through Nginx, or an API that uses only the listed methods).

2. Refine the Allowed Methods (if your application needs more)

Consider if your application requires other standard HTTP methods. For example, if you're building a RESTful API, you'll very likely need DELETE and PATCH. Additionally, OPTIONS is frequently used for CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) preflight requests. If you have a frontend JavaScript application hosted on a different domain from your API, it will send OPTIONS requests, and blocking them will break your frontend's ability to communicate with the API.

Suggestion: Add any methods your application legitimately uses. For a typical API, a more comprehensive list might look like this:

---
# Suggested Method Restriction
if ($request_method !~ ^(GET|POST|PUT|DELETE|PATCH|HEAD|OPTIONS|CONNECT)$) {
    return 405;
}
  • Pros: Ensures your application functions correctly with all necessary HTTP verbs. Handles common CORS scenarios.
  • Cons: Still uses an if statement.
  • Use Case: Recommended for modern web applications, especially those with APIs and separate frontends.

3. Remove the Restriction (if you're unsure or your backend handles it)

If you're unsure which methods your backend uses or if your application server (e.g., Node.js, Python, PHP framework) is already robustly handling method validation, you could simply remove this if block.

  • Pros: Simplifies your Nginx configuration. Defers method validation entirely to your application, which might be more appropriate if the application logic is complex.
  • Cons: Less filtering at the Nginx edge; all method types will hit your backend, potentially exposing it to methods it doesn't handle.
  • Use Case: When your application framework (like Express.js, Django REST Framework, Laravel) is explicitly designed to handle all HTTP methods and return appropriate 405 responses or specific logic for each, making Nginx's check redundant.

Which suggestion is best for you?

Given your setup with proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;, it sounds like you're running a backend application (likely Node.js, since 3000 is a common port).

  1. If you're running a simple content-serving application or a blog without complex interactive features/APIs, then keeping your current list of methods is probably sufficient.
  2. However, if your linuxmalaysia.com site includes APIs, user interactions, or forms that might update/delete data, or if you have a separate frontend that makes AJAX requests, then I'd strongly suggest you refine the allowed methods to include OPTIONS, DELETE, and PATCH (if your API uses them). This will prevent unexpected 405 errors and ensure full functionality.

Before making any changes, always test thoroughly to ensure your application behaves as expected with the chosen method restrictions!

@linuxmalaysia
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User ulimit (for Nginx user):

Even with fs.file-max set, the user running Nginx (often nginx or www-data) needs a high nofile limit in /etc/security/limits.conf or a file in /etc/security/limits.d/.

nginx soft nofile 655360
nginx hard nofile 655360

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Let's break down the events block in your Nginx configuration. This block is crucial because it defines how Nginx handles connections and influences its scalability and performance, particularly concerning concurrent users.

events { ... }

The events block is a top-level configuration block in Nginx (alongside http, mail, stream, etc.). It contains directives that set global parameters for connection processing.

1. worker_connections 65536;

  • Explanation: This directive specifies the maximum number of simultaneous connections that a single Nginx worker process can open.
    • Since Nginx typically runs multiple worker processes (controlled by worker_processes in the main configuration block, often set to auto or the number of CPU cores), the total maximum number of connections Nginx can handle concurrently is worker_connections * worker_processes.
    • For example, if you have 4 worker processes and worker_connections 65536;, Nginx can theoretically handle $4 \times 65536 = 262144$ simultaneous connections.
  • Performance Impact (Scalability & Resource Usage):
    • High Concurrency: A high worker_connections value allows Nginx to handle a very large number of concurrent clients, which is essential for high-traffic websites.
    • Memory: Each connection consumes a small amount of memory. Setting this too high without sufficient RAM could lead to memory exhaustion.
    • CPU: While Nginx is very efficient, handling a vast number of connections will consume CPU cycles for processing requests.
    • File Descriptors: Each connection is a file descriptor. This setting must be lower than or equal to the operating system's per-process file descriptor limit.
  • Suggestions:
    • 65536 is a very common and high value, indicating a server designed for high concurrency.
    • Practical Limit: While Nginx might be configured for 65,536 connections per worker, the actual practical limit is often determined by the server's CPU, memory, and network bandwidth.
    • Monitoring: Monitor your server's resource usage (CPU, RAM, open file descriptors) under load to ensure it can comfortably handle this many connections. If you consistently hit the limit, consider scaling up your hardware or optimizing other parts of your Nginx/application stack.

2. worker_rlimit_nofile 655360;

  • Explanation: This directive sets the maximum number of open file descriptors (the RLIMIT_NOFILE limit) for Nginx's worker processes.
    • A file descriptor is used for every connection, every file being served, every log file, and so on.
    • The value 655360 (655,360) is ten times your worker_connections value.
  • Performance Impact (Stability & Reliability):
    • Prevents "Too Many Open Files" Errors: If Nginx runs out of file descriptors, it cannot accept new connections or open files, leading to service disruption and "Too many open files" errors in your logs.
    • Must be High Enough: This value must be at least worker_connections. It's often recommended to set it higher (e.g., 1.5x to 2x worker_connections for general use, or even 10x as you have for very busy servers) to account for other file descriptors used by Nginx (e.g., log files, cache files, internal pipes, upstream connections).
    • Operating System Limit: This Nginx setting cannot exceed the operating system's system-wide file descriptor limit (fs.file-max) or the per-user/per-process ulimit -n setting. You often need to adjust these OS limits first.
  • Suggestions:
    • 655360 is a very high and appropriate value for a server aiming for high concurrency.
    • Verify OS Limits: Before setting worker_rlimit_nofile this high, you must ensure your Linux system's ulimit -n for the Nginx user and fs.file-max kernel parameter are set to at least this value (or higher).
      • To check ulimit -n for the Nginx user (e.g., www-data):
        sudo su - www-data -c 'ulimit -n'
      • To check system-wide fs.file-max:
        cat /proc/sys/fs/file-max
      • To temporarily set ulimit -n for the current shell (e.g., for testing): ulimit -n 655360
      • To make it permanent, you'd typically edit /etc/security/limits.conf (for nofile for the www-data user) and /etc/sysctl.conf (for fs.file-max).

3. use epoll; (Example, commented out in your snippet)

  • Explanation: This directive specifies the connection processing method Nginx will use.
    • epoll is the most efficient and scalable I/O event notification mechanism on Linux systems. It allows Nginx to efficiently monitor a large number of file descriptors for readiness events (e.g., a new connection, data arriving on an existing connection).
    • Other methods exist (kqueue for FreeBSD/macOS, select, poll), but epoll is the default and preferred method on Linux due to its superior performance for high concurrency.
  • Performance Impact (CPU & Scalability):
    • Highly Efficient: epoll drastically reduces the CPU overhead associated with monitoring thousands of connections compared to older methods like select or poll. It scales very well with the number of connections.
  • Suggestions:
    • Explicitly include it: While Nginx often defaults to the best method for the detected OS, it's good practice to explicitly include use epoll; in your events block if you're on Linux, as it clearly states your intent and ensures Nginx uses the most efficient method.

Overall Impact on Nginx Performance (CPU and Memory)

  • CPU: worker_connections and the chosen use method directly impact CPU. A higher number of connections means more work for the CPU, but epoll minimizes the overhead of managing those connections.
  • Memory: worker_connections directly influences memory consumption as each connection requires a small amount of memory. worker_rlimit_nofile ensures Nginx has enough capacity to use file descriptors but doesn't directly consume memory itself (it's a limit, not an allocation).

Your events block configuration is very aggressive and suitable for a high-performance web server aiming to handle significant traffic, which aligns with serving linuxmalaysia.com effectively. The high worker_connections and worker_rlimit_nofile values are excellent for scalability, provided your underlying operating system is also configured to support them.

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