3 ms·

I was surprised to see more Apache usage here vs. nginx (and on the other poll, more MySQL compared to Postgres).

by percept 16y ago

SwellJoe 16y ago
Why? Apache is, by far, the most popular web server. And, there is very little to complain about, compared to other servers. It isn't like you're missing any functionality in choosing Apache (Apache does more than nginx), or that Apache performance or resource usage is particularly bad. And, most applications simply aren't being limited by the web server. A Ruby, Python, or Perl application, or the database, is going to be the bottleneck in any website that does something interesting. The webserver usually isn't really even a factor.
- tlack 16y ago
  I'd suggest that most people who switched to nginx from Apache did, in fact, notice a huge decrease in load. Otherwise why would anyone make the switch and stay with nginx? It's a risky proposition. Personal anecdote: on a very popular blog that I run, experienced massive performance boost switching from Apache to Lighttpd, and load dropped as well.
  - SwellJoe 16y ago
    That would surprise me greatly. I've seen Apache side-by-side with nginx. In a similar configuration, Apache isn't much slower, and doesn't use a "huge" amount of additional resources. Yes, it's bigger per-process by a few MB (which admittedly does add up, in very high load environments), and it's a little slower, but unless you've configured Apache in a dramatically different way (such as running mod_php in Apache vs. an fcgi configuration under nginx) the differences simply aren't "huge" or "massive". So, is nginx faster and smaller, in general, than Apache? Yes. But, by a "huge" or "massive" margin? Unlikely. Unless, of course, you've got a pathological configuration or one that is tuned for other priorities (like security in a shared hosting environment, for example, or other areas where Apache clearly outclasses nginx in terms of capabilities). I'm just saying it's not a big deal that Apache is as popular as it is, and if anyone is suggesting changing web servers as the first, second, third, or fourth area to tackle when performance is an issue, it's probably bad advice. The application or the database are almost certainly where your attention should go first.

I was surprised to see more Apache usage here vs. nginx (and on the other poll, more MySQL compared to Postgres).

by percept 16y ago

I was surprised to see more Apache usage here vs. nginx (and on the other poll, more MySQL compared to Postgres).

Why? Apache is, by far, the most popular web server. And, there is very little to complain about, compared to other servers. It isn't like you're missing any functionality in choosing Apache (Apache does more than nginx), or that Apache performance or resource usage is particularly bad. And, most applications simply aren't being limited by the web server. A Ruby, Python, or Perl application, or the database, is going to be the bottleneck in any website that does something interesting. The webserver usually isn't really even a factor.

tlack 16y ago
I'd suggest that most people who switched to nginx from Apache did, in fact, notice a huge decrease in load. Otherwise why would anyone make the switch and stay with nginx? It's a risky proposition. Personal anecdote: on a very popular blog that I run, experienced massive performance boost switching from Apache to Lighttpd, and load dropped as well.
- SwellJoe 16y ago
  That would surprise me greatly. I've seen Apache side-by-side with nginx. In a similar configuration, Apache isn't much slower, and doesn't use a "huge" amount of additional resources. Yes, it's bigger per-process by a few MB (which admittedly does add up, in very high load environments), and it's a little slower, but unless you've configured Apache in a dramatically different way (such as running mod_php in Apache vs. an fcgi configuration under nginx) the differences simply aren't "huge" or "massive". So, is nginx faster and smaller, in general, than Apache? Yes. But, by a "huge" or "massive" margin? Unlikely. Unless, of course, you've got a pathological configuration or one that is tuned for other priorities (like security in a shared hosting environment, for example, or other areas where Apache clearly outclasses nginx in terms of capabilities). I'm just saying it's not a big deal that Apache is as popular as it is, and if anyone is suggesting changing web servers as the first, second, third, or fourth area to tackle when performance is an issue, it's probably bad advice. The application or the database are almost certainly where your attention should go first.