Nginx 2026 - Beginner to Advanced

Beginners Guide to Master NGINX

Created byZeal Vora

Last updated 7/2026

English

What you'll learn

Have in-depth understanding of HTTP Protocol.
Can setup their own website with Reverse Proxies
Have solid foundation for Load Balancers and would know how to practically implement them.
Configure Web Application Firewall

Course content

11 sections • 69 lectures • 9h 20m total length

Introduction to the Nginx Course - New14:41
About the Course and Important Resources4:32
GitHub Resource and Community0:02
Central PPT Notes0:03

Introduction to Nginx - New11:48
Infrastructure Setup Options for Nginx7:21
Explore infrastructure setup options for installing nginx on linux, including virtualization with vmware or virtualbox, cloud-based linux vms from aws, azure, gcp, digitalocean, and docker-based setups.
Our Lab Setup - New Update6:10
Set up an nginx lab on Linux with Ubuntu LTS, using DigitalOcean for per-hour pricing. Choose the latest LTS (26.04 or 24.x) and consider AWS LightSail or a local VM.
Optional - Digital Ocean Link0:02
Practical - Launching Server for Nginx5:02
Launch a DigitalOcean droplet with Ubuntu LTS in a nearby region, using a small 1 GB RAM VM and SSH key authentication, then connect to install Nginx.
Nginx Versions - Mainline vs Stable4:00
Compare Nginx mainline and stable versions, noting mainline's latest features and frequent updates versus stable's emphasis on stability, with guidance for choosing based on production needs.
Practical - Installing Nginx5:03
Install the stable version of Nginx on Ubuntu using a single command, start Nginx with systemctl, and verify the welcome to Nginx page with curl.
Document - Nginx Installation Commands0:26

Overview of Nginx Configuration File Architecture8:18
Explore the architecture of Nginx by understanding the main Nginx.conf file, its contexts (main, events, http, mail), and how directives and includes shape production behavior.
Practical - Editing and Testing Nginx Configuration File6:55
Learn to safely edit the nginx configuration file (nginx.conf), test with nginx -t, and restart nginx to apply changes without disrupting production traffic.
The HTTP Context10:53
Learn to configure the http context in nginx, focusing on access logs and the include directive to control logging, modular configurations, and multi-site hosting.
The Server Context7:10
Explore how server blocks define per-site behavior inside the http context in nginx, including server_name, listen, root, and index, with practical config examples.
Practical - Hosting Single Website in Nginx7:00
Create a dedicated nginx server block (kplabs.conf) listening on 8080 for kplabs.internal, serving from /usr/share/nginx/html/kplabs/kplabs.html; map 127.0.0.1 to the host, restart nginx, and verify with curl.
Overview of Virtual Hosts7:48
Practical - Hosting Multiple Websites with Nginx8:21
Nginx- Restart vs Reload9:48
Nginx Management - Systemd vs Native Signals4:52
Nginx Access Logs - Overview11:17
Practical - Customizing Nginx Access Logs6:18
Nginx Error Logs7:32
Nginx Architecture - Master and Worker Process11:17
Nginx Command Line Options4:11
Explore essential nginx command line options, including -V to show version, -t to test configs, -C to specify a config file, and -H for health checks.

Denial of Service Attacks17:06
Explore how denial of service and distributed denial of service attacks overwhelm servers by flooding legitimate traffic, causing outages.
Whitelists and Blacklists3:58
Importance of Ordering - Whitelists and Blacklists5:23
Restricting Access with HTTP Basic Authentication3:46
Practical - HTTP Basic Authentication4:50
Rate Limiting in Nginx13:23
Download Speed Throttling9:46

Requirements

This course is designed from absolute scratch for beginners.
Computer with minimum 2GB RAM.
Internet Connection to Download NGINX packages.

Description

Nginx 2026- Beginner to Advanced is a course specifically designed for beginners who intends to master Nginx.

Nginx is one of the most popular HTTP Server which powers most of the top Enterprise websites like Netflix, Dropbox, WordPress, GitHub, Discovery, and many others. Most small to medium organizations are also using Nginx due to its capability to handle the large traffic loads at scale.

Mastering Nginx requires a solid base foundation into the HTTP Protocol. As this course starts from absolute scratch, we first start our journey learning about the HTTP protocol in detail. Once the HTTP Protocol is well understood, we begin our journey learning in detail about Nginx and its architecture in great detail.

Nginx is not limited to HTTP web-server, it provides a wide range of features, including Load Balancing, Caching Subsystems, Access Control, Cryptographic Modules, and various others. We discuss these features in great detail throughout this course.

With a beginner-friendly course, tons of practicals, easy-to-understand videos, and great Support from our Instructor in case of doubts, this course is all you need to build a solid foundation in Nginx.

Individuals, post completing this course, will have a solid understanding of Nginx and its associated features. They will be able to both deploy as well as manage Nginx in production environments.

Who this course is for:

This course is for students / professionals who would love to master NGINX

Nginx 2026 - Beginner to Advanced

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Getting Started4 lectures • 19min

Setting Up Labs8 lectures • 40min

Getting Started with NGINX14 lectures • 1hr 52min

Reverse Proxy4 lectures • 29min

Load Balancers7 lectures • 53min

The Caching Subsystem5 lectures • 1hr 8min

Important Nginx Configurations and Directives8 lectures • 1hr 2min

Rate Limiting and Access Controls7 lectures • 58min

Modular Architecture of Nginx3 lectures • 34min

Web Application Firewalls3 lectures • 33min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: