Apache and NGINX are two of the most widely used web servers. For high-traffic Magento stores, choosing the right server directly affects performance, concurrency, and resource usage.

Overview of Apache HTTP Server

Apache is an open-source web server released in 1995. It uses a process-driven architecture and supports .htaccess, dynamic modules, and native PHP handling (mod_php).

• Works with Linux, Windows, macOS
• Uses Multi-Processing Modules (MPMs): Prefork, Worker, Event
• Popular in LAMP stack
• Flexible module ecosystem

Overview of NGINX

NGINX is a high-performance web server released in 2004. It is event-driven, lightweight, and optimized for concurrency, static content, and reverse proxying.

• Non-blocking event-driven model
• Lower resource usage
• Fast static file handling
• Requires PHP-FPM for dynamic content

NGINX vs. Apache Comparison

1. Architecture

Apache uses a process / thread model. Each request consumes system resources. Under heavy load, this leads to performance drops.

NGINX uses asynchronous, event-driven workers. A single thread can handle thousands of concurrent requests efficiently.

2. OS Support

Both support Linux/Unix. Apache works well on Windows; NGINX performs best on Linux and has limited Windows support.

3. Static vs Dynamic Content

Static: NGINX is significantly faster.

Dynamic: Apache processes PHP internally; NGINX uses PHP-FPM externally but performs equally well.

4. Configuration

Apache supports .htaccess and per-directory overrides. NGINX only uses central config, resulting in better performance.

5. Flexibility & Modules

Apache offers more dynamic modules. NGINX modules must be compiled (unless using NGINX Plus).

6. Security

Both servers provide solid security features and active advisories.

7. Support

Apache has long-established documentation; NGINX community is large and modern.

Conclusion — Which is Better for Magento?

NGINX is recommended for Magento — especially for high-traffic stores — due to its event-driven performance, low resource usage, and ability to handle many concurrent visitors.

• Event-driven, non-blocking architecture
• Lightweight and faster
• Handles static content 2–3× faster
• Better concurrency management

NGINX is becoming the industry standard for Magento hosting, especially for large-scale ecommerce.

# Magento Recommendation Summary
Use NGINX + PHP-FPM for:
- high traffic
- better concurrency
- lower CPU/RAM usage
- faster static content

Enable:
- HTTP/2
- gzip
- fastcgi_cache (if suitable)