Nginx vs. Apache for Web Hosting: What's your go-to and why?

I used to be an Apache guy too, mainly because all my early projects were WordPress sites and every shared hosting plan came with Apache out of the box. .htaccess was my best friend back then.

That all changed when I started running Node and Django apps that lived on their own ports. I threw Nginx in front as a reverse proxy and… yeah, never looked back. It just clicks for that use case — SSL termination, static file serving, and handing requests to the app server without Apache’s bulk.

Why I stick with Nginx now:

• It’s fast because it’s barebones out of the box. You only load what you need. Apache is modular too, but most distros ship it with a ton of stuff enabled so things “just work” — which also means you’re running a bunch of modules you’ll never touch.

• The config is straightforward for reverse proxying. Point it at your upstream, reload, done.

• Static assets fly out the door. Perfect for fronting media-heavy apps.

• Lower memory usage, especially under high traffic. Event-driven architecture beats process-per-connection in most modern workloads.

• Built-in goodies like rate limiting and caching that are actually easy to set up.

Apache still has its place — if you’re on shared hosting, need .htaccess, or have old apps that depend on its modules, it’s rock solid. But for modern stacks (Node, Django, Rails, Go, etc.), Nginx just feels cleaner and faster.

Basically: Apache is a Swiss Army knife, Nginx is a scalpel. If all you’re doing is reverse proxying to your app server and serving some static files, the scalpel wins.

Hi there,

For a new project I usually go with Nginx because it is lightweight, handles a large number of concurrent connections well, and works great as a reverse proxy in front of PHP-FPM, Node.js, or other app servers. It is a solid choice if you want efficiency and expect traffic spikes.

Apache is still a good option if you need .htaccess support or are working with older applications that rely on it. Its module ecosystem is extensive and it can be easier to integrate if you are on shared hosting or need per-directory configuration.

Sometimes the best setup is using both, with Nginx in front to handle static files and proxy requests, and Apache serving dynamic content behind it. It really depends on your project requirements, traffic expectations, and how much flexibility you need with configuration.