OpenResty

What do you like best?

Well, everyone knows nginx is really cool to use when you have the requirement for highly concurrent web server environment with its non-blocking model for incoming requests. OpenResty based nginx takes it to a really cool level. It regains all the nginx features making it essential just nginx with extra most used handy utilities, hence saving lots of time and effort if nginx is configured on its own. Lua is pretty cool language of the web and OpenResty provides some very nice way to add client cosocket driver and lua resty templates along with some pre-configured lualibs which are really useful. OpenResty provides extremely sensible defaults as compared to using bare nginx server. Also, the way OpenResty uses worker threads providing each their own lua jit vms is neat.

What do you dislike?

Well, nginx for windows does not support multiple workers nor does it provide an installer to run nginx as service for windows, and this situation does not change when using OpenResty based nginx. Considering how much OpenResty provides it would be really good if it is enabled to work on windows and hence competes with the likes of IIS and Apache on windows.

Recommendations to others considering the product:

Consider providing OpenResty on Windows Server environment, especially installing it out of box as a Windows Service and allowing usage/configuration of multiple worker nodes in Windows platform which will really help to replace other Windows based servers specially IIS and Apache for Windows.

What problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?

Using OpenResty based nginx server to act as a reverse proxy as well as load balancer to backend web applications. Again, due to its non-blocking web request serving model that nginx uses, the performance advantage is really significant out of the box. Another benefit is saving tons of consultancy time with the nginx plus model wherein a lot of optimization libraries suggested to add are available out of box as lualibs and external lua scripts in case of OpenResty which is really good.