§2023-04-06

¶ Nginx vs. Nginx Plus

Nginx is an open-source web server, reverse proxy, and load balancer that is widely used for its performance, reliability, and scalability. It was first released in 2004 and is maintained by the Nginx open-source community.

Nginx Plus, on the other hand, is the commercial version of Nginx that provides additional enterprise-level features and support. It includes advanced load balancing, dynamic reconfiguration, session persistence, and more. Nginx Plus also includes a web application firewall (WAF) to protect against common attacks such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS).

Some of the key differences between Nginx and Nginx Plus are:

• Features:
  • Nginx Plus provides additional features and modules that are not available in the open-source version, such as dynamic reconfiguration, session persistence, and the WAF module.
• Support:
  • Nginx Plus comes with commercial support and access to Nginx experts who can help with configuration, troubleshooting, and optimization. The open-source version of Nginx is supported by the community, but there is no official support.
• Licensing:
  • Nginx is distributed under the open-source BSD license, which allows users to modify and redistribute the code freely. Nginx Plus, on the other hand, is a commercial product that requires a subscription license.
• Cost:
  • Nginx Plus is a paid product, and the cost depends on the number of instances and the level of support required. The open-source version of Nginx is free to use and distribute.

In summary, Nginx Plus provides enterprise-level features and support that are not available in the open-source version of Nginx. It is a commercial product that requires a subscription license and is targeted at large organizations with complex infrastructure and high traffic websites.