Nginx is the big name open source software that plays an important role in proxy servers. Speaking of proxies, we have to mention Nginx forward proxy requests. In this article, I will provide you with a detailed introduction to the optimization techniques of Nginx forward proxy requests, let's unveil its mystery!

I. Setting the cache header

While making Nginx forward proxy requests, we can increase the efficiency of the request by setting cache headers. Cache headers help in avoiding frequent fetching of data from the source server and saves bandwidth resources. We can add the following code in the Nginx configuration file:

proxy_cache_valid 200 304 10m;
proxy_cache_path /var/cache/nginx levels=1:2 keys_zone=my_cache:10m inactive=60m;
proxy_cache_key "$host$request_uri";
proxy_cache my_cache.

In the above code, proxy_cache_valid is used to set the cache validity time, which is set to 10 minutes. proxy_cache_path is used to specify the cache path and related configurations, in which levels=1:2 indicates the directory hierarchy of the cached files, keys_zone is used to specify the name and size of the cache, and active_key is used to indicate how long the cache files will be deleted if they are not accessed. The keys_zone is used to specify the name and size of the cache, and inactive means that the cache file will be deleted if it is not accessed within a certain period of time. proxy_cache_key is used to specify the key name of the cache, which is usually in the form of "$host$request_uri".

II. Enabling compression

Enabling compression is a very effective way to optimize Nginx forward proxy requests.Nginx supports the gzip module, which compresses the transmitted data to reduce the amount of data transmitted and improve transmission efficiency. We can add the following code to the Nginx configuration file:

gzip on;
gzip_types text/plain application/xml.
gzip_vary on; gzip_min_length
gzip_vary on; gzip_min_length 1024; gzip_proxied any;

gzip_comp_level 6; gzip_buffers 16

In the above code, gzip on indicates that gzip compression is enabled, gzip_types is used to specify the type of file you want to compress, gzip_vary indicates that it informs the browser whether or not the server supports gzip compression, gzip_min_length indicates that it specifies how many bytes of the response length are greater than or equal to the number of bytes before compression is performed, gzip_proxied indicates whether the data compressed in the proxy request continues to be compressed, gzip_comp_level indicates the compression level, and gzip_buffers indicates the size of the compression buffer.

III. Using keepalive connections

The use of keepalive connections in Nginx forward proxy requests improves performance and reduces the cost of connection establishment and closure. By reusing already established connections, frequent connection establishment and closure is avoided and transmission efficiency is improved. We can add the following code to the Nginx configuration file:

http {
...
keepalive_timeout 65;
proxy_http_version 1.1; proxy_set_header Connection ""; proxy_set_header Connection ""; ...
proxy_set_header Connection ""; ...
...
}

In the above code, keepalive_timeout is used to set the timeout for keepalive connections, proxy_http_version indicates the backend server that supports the HTTP/1.1 protocol, proxy_set_header is used to set the request header information, and here Connection is set to the empty string Here, Connection is set to an empty string, which means that there is no limit to the number of times a connection can be used.

In this article, we have learned about optimization techniques for Nginx forward proxy requests. Setting cache headers, enabling compression and using keepalive connections are all effective ways to improve performance. I hope this article will help you when using Nginx forward proxy requests. It's a good idea to do it in a timely manner!