Nginx HTTP Server - Fourth Edition

Configuration file syntax

A configuration file is generally a text file that is edited by the administrator and parsed by a program. By specifying a set of values, you define the behavior of the program. In Linux-based operating systems, the majority of applications rely on vast, complex configuration files which often turn out to be a nightmare to manage. Apache, Qmail, and Bind—all of these names bring up bad memories in the mind of a Linux system administrator.

The fact is that all of these applications use their own configuration files with different syntaxes and styles. PHP works with a Windows-style .ini file, Sendmail uses the M4 macro-processor to compile configuration files, Zabbix pulls its configuration from a MySQL database, and ...