Caching with nginx as a reverse proxy

This demo shows the caching mechanic of a nginx reverse proxy (https://www.nginx.com/blog/nginx-caching-guide/). The webserver takes 5 seconds to send a response and the response is cached for 10 seconds by the nginx reverse proxy.

For the config of the nginx see nginx.conf.

How to run:

1. docker-compose up
2. Open browser and load http://localhost
3. The request will take 5 seconds and the container web_1 will log Request received.
4. After the page finishes loading -> reload the page to see that the page loads instantly and no Request received is logged. Only the nginx will log. After 10 seconds the cache expires.
5. Try to load the cached page in multiple browsers to see the functionality of a shared cache.

Bottom line

Using nginx as a reverse proxy is a great way to add caching and reduce load on the backend.