PHP Academy · Lesson

Nginx and PHP-FPM Configuration

Set up Nginx as a reverse proxy to PHP-FPM for serving PHP applications.

Nginx and PHP-FPM Configuration is a free PHP Academy lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 1 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the PHP Academy learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.

Why Nginx + PHP-FPM?

Nginx is a high-performance web server and reverse proxy. PHP-FPM (FastCGI Process Manager) manages a pool of PHP worker processes. Nginx passes PHP requests to FPM via FastCGI.

Basic Nginx Server Block

A minimal Nginx configuration for a PHP application.

# /etc/nginx/sites-available/myapp
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com;
    root /srv/myapp/public;
    index index.php;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_index index.php;
        include fastcgi_params;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $realpath_root$fastcgi_script_name;
    }

    location ~ /\.ht {
        deny all;
    }
}

try_files Directive

try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string attempts to serve a static file first. If not found, it falls back to index.php — enabling front-controller routing (Laravel, Symfony).

PHP-FPM Pool Configuration

Configure the worker pool in /etc/php/8.3/fpm/pool.d/www.conf.

[www]
pm = dynamic
pm.max_children      = 20
pm.start_servers     = 5
pm.min_spare_servers = 2
pm.max_spare_servers = 8
pm.max_requests      = 500  ; recycle workers to prevent leaks

Unix Socket vs TCP

Using a Unix socket (fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock) is faster than TCP (127.0.0.1:9000) for same-machine communication.

HTTPS with Let's Encrypt

Use Certbot to obtain free TLS certificates.

$ certbot --nginx -d example.com
# Certbot modifies your Nginx config and sets up auto-renewal

Gzip Compression

Enable gzip to reduce response sizes.

# nginx.conf or server block:
gzip on;
gzip_types text/plain text/css application/javascript application/json;
gzip_min_length 1024;

Browser Caching for Static Assets

Add cache-control headers for static files.

location ~* \.(js|css|png|jpg|gif|ico|woff2)$ {
    expires 1y;
    add_header Cache-Control "public, immutable";
}

Rate Limiting in Nginx

Limit requests per IP using the limit_req module — first line of defence before PHP even starts.

http {
    limit_req_zone $binary_remote_addr zone=one:10m rate=10r/s;
}

server {
    location /api/ {
        limit_req zone=one burst=20 nodelay;
    }
}

Security Headers

Add security headers to all responses.

add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN";
add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff";
add_header Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin";

Reload vs Restart

After changing Nginx config, reload gracefully (no downtime): nginx -t && nginx -s reload. After changing PHP-FPM config: systemctl reload php8.3-fpm.

Summary

Configure Nginx with a server block pointing to public/index.php via FastCGI. Tune PHP-FPM pool settings. Use Unix sockets. Enable HTTPS, gzip, and static file caching.

Quick Check

What does try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string do?

Frequently asked questions

Is the “Nginx and PHP-FPM Configuration” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “Nginx and PHP-FPM Configuration” is free to read here on the web, and the PHP Academy course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the PHP Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.

What will I learn in “Nginx and PHP-FPM Configuration”?

Set up Nginx as a reverse proxy to PHP-FPM for serving PHP applications. You practise PHP Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start PHP Academy?

No prior experience is required. PHP Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 1 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.

How long does the “Nginx and PHP-FPM Configuration” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this PHP Academy lesson?

Yes. Every PHP Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.

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