Utilizing Nginx's FastCGI cache
Something I wasn't aware of until recently, the Nginx FastCGI module comes with a rather nifty caching component.
Basically via config you are able to control the caching of responses from your FastCGI backend(s) (e.g. PHP-FPM) straight to disk, with the next request for the same cache key (which is typically made up of your $scheme, $request_method and $request_uri - but can be controlled) then served up from disk cache via Nginx directly.
I have posted some boilerplate config to a Gist here:
https://gist.github.com/magnetikonline/10450786
Things of note:
- The target cache file path, shared memory size/use and GC timeout is set by
fastcgi_cache_path - Cache key is controlled via
fastcgi_cache_keyand can include anything in it's makeup that's available in Nginx variable land. - Using a rewrite variable
$fastcgi_skipcacheand some if() conditions we can get quite complex as to what is in/out when it comes to adding content to the cache vs. passing through to your FastCGI backend.
Have had some really good success with this on a few highly trafficked, yet sluggish WordPress blogs of late with minimal code changes required within the apps themselves - including the use of custom HTTP headers with XMLHTTP requests and $http_[CUSTOM-HEADER] to control cache injection.
Well worth a look in.
Written by Peter Mescalchin
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3 Responses
Good read. How often does the cache get invalidated and or cleaned up? fastcgi_skipcache sounds like it could lead into a rabbit hole of support issues if it is used a lot. Is there any logging tool(s) for debugging the nginx cache?
Check the docs:
-
fastcgi_cache_validcontrols cache time - debugging is/can be done with
add_header X-Cache $upstream_cache_status;which will add a HIT/BYPASS HTTP header to responses. - The setup of
fastcgi_skipcacheis a job left to the reader, it's working great here but does require a good understanding of your application and/or usage patterns to get it right.
Great feedback. I haven't had a chance to even explore nginx caching so this is a great spot to dive in.
