please help out a linux & nginx noob here, i want to compile nginx but im getting very confused on all the modules available. so i want to just compile all of them. but will the performance suffer if i do that? will it be less secure?

Theoretically, yes.



Theoretically, yes.

Since you're a n00b I doubt you're doing a high performance application in which case, neither of those issues should affect you.

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Give me one reason why a "noob" needs to compile nginx from source. Are you using a source-based distribution like Gentoo? If not, why would you want to compile something that is readily available in the package repositories? Are you sure you can do a better job at keeping your nginx updated with security fixes than your distro's package maintainers can?

Maybe, he's such a n00b that he doesn't even understand the implications of what he is trying to do...

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Compiling from source is bad, mmm'kay? There are times when you need to, but most people should stick to their distro's packages so that they get updates.

Nobody said it was. But as a n00b you probably wouldn't want to start learning by compiling nginx from source. That would most likely lead to distress, confusion, loss of interest, etc.

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For fun, or to learn how to compile things from source.

There is no reason why he should not compile things from source and much to learn from doing so. Sure it's harder than installing a binary version but he would learn little from typing 'apt-get install nginx'?

Unless you missed it, I did.



From typing "apt-get install nginx", he'd learn best practices, the right way to do it.

Well, if you really want to learn it the hard way, you could compile nginx from source, follow the nginx mailing list for security notices and new releases, update your source tree accordingly (preferably using a version control system), and recompile as needed. Nothing wrong with that if done properly. It just happens to be a bloody hassle.

Unfortunately, several Linode Library articles casually mention compiling nginx from source as an alternative to using distro packages. I think there should be a big red warning at the top of those sections, along the lines of "YOU WILL BE 100% RESPONSIBLE FOR SECURITY UPDATES IF YOU DO THIS."

I totally misinterpreted what you said. You were talking to the OP and I read it as you "defending" the OP's choice. If that explanation makes sense to you.

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