How to Setup Caching on Nginx

Cache Configuration

http {
    proxy_cache_path /path/to/cache levels=1:2 keys_zone=my_cache:10m max_size=10g inactive=60m use_temp_path=off;
    
    server {
        location / {
            proxy_cache my_cache;
            proxy_cache_use_stale error timeout http_500 http_502 http_503 http_504;
            proxy_cache_valid 200 60m;
            proxy_cache_valid 404 1m;
        }
    }
}

Key parameters explained:

• proxy_cache_path: Defines where cache files are stored
• levels: Cache file hierarchy levels
• keys_zone: Shared memory zone for cache keys
• max_size: Maximum size of the cache
• inactive: Time after which inactive items are removed

Static Asset Caching

location ~* \.(jpg|jpeg|png|gif|ico|css|js)$ {
    expires 1y;
    add_header Cache-Control "public, no-transform";
}

location ~* \.(html|htm)$ {
    expires 1h;
    add_header Cache-Control "public, no-cache";
}

location /api/ {
    add_header Cache-Control "no-store";
    expires 0;
}

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/xml+rss application/atom+xml image/svg+xml;

Compression settings explained:

• gzip_comp_level: Compression level (1-9)
• gzip_types: MIME types to compress
• gzip_vary: Adds Vary: Accept-Encoding header

Generated Configuration

http {
    # Cache configuration will appear here
}

Recommended Practices

• Static Assets:
  • Use long cache times (1 year) with versioned URLs
  • Add Cache-Control: public for CDN caching
  • Enable gzip compression for text-based assets
• Dynamic Content:
  • Use shorter cache times
  • Implement cache busting for updates
  • Consider using no-cache for user-specific content
• API Responses:
  • Use no-store for sensitive data
  • Implement ETag headers for validation
  • Consider using Vary header for different responses