Nginx Dynamic and Static Content Separation: Speed Up and Stabilize Your Website Loading

Nginx static-dynamic separation separates static resources (images, CSS, JS, etc.) from dynamic resources (PHP, APIs, etc.). Nginx focuses on quickly returning static resources, while backend servers handle dynamic requests. This approach can improve page loading speed, reduce backend pressure, and enhance scalability (static resources can be deployed on CDNs, and dynamic requests can use load balancing). The core of implementation is distinguishing requests using Nginx's `location` directive: static resources (e.g., `.jpg`, `.js`) are directly returned using the `root` directive with specified paths; dynamic requests (e.g., `.php`) are forwarded to the backend (e.g., PHP-FPM) via `fastcgi_pass` or similar. In practice, within the `server` block of the Nginx configuration file, use `~*` to match static suffixes and set paths, and `~` to match dynamic requests and forward them to the backend. After verification, restart Nginx to apply the changes and optimize website performance.

Read More