Confused between NGINX and AWS hosting for ASP.NET websites? Don’t worry, I am here to help you choose the right one.
Over the past 12 years, I have been working in the tech field, specializing in ASP.NET and cloud.
I’ve used multiple services to host websites with the fastest performance and highly scalable infrastructure.
In this guide, I will share my expertise, and together, we will compare NGINX vs AWS for ASP.NET websites.
What is NGINX?
NGINX is an open-source web server mostly known for its low resource consumption and high performance. It can easily handle multiple concurrent connections at the same time.
The reverse proxy server and load balancer make it an attractive choice. Due to the asynchronous architecture, it’s perfect for hosting ASP.NET websites.
What is AWS?
AWS (Amazon Web Services) is a cloud service provider offering multiple services under one roof.
It includes Amazon EC2 for virtual servers, Elastic Load Balancer (ALB) for traffic distribution, and Amazon S3 for storage. AWS provides a managed infrastructure (database, caching, etc) to host ASP.NET websites.
Comparing the Advantages of NGINX and AWS for ASP.NET Websites
As mentioned, it’s quite complicated to have a battle between NGINX vs AWS, as both of them are completely different. NGINX is a web server, while AWS is the service where you can host your website.
NGINX is hosted on an individual VPS or a dedicated server, while Amazon is a managed hosting service.
You can always rent a server from AWS (EC2) and host an ASP.NET website with an NGINX server installed inside it.
So, comparing these two will have multiple scenarios.
Even AWS offers some great alternatives to the NGINX server, such as AWS Elastic Load Balancer (ELB), specifically the Application Load Balancer (ALB), and Amazon API Gateway for API-driven applications. All these are alternatives to NGINX.
Therefore, you typically have 3 options.
● Use AWS and its services without the need for NGINX.
● NGINX hosted on a VPS or a dedicated server, such as Linode, Digital Ocean, etc.
● Use AWS as the host, and NGINX as the web server.
Let’s look at the advantages and compare them.
AWS without NGINX
As for the first scenario, we are using AWS services without NGINX. Here, I’ve taken the services for you to understand them better.
The setup is as follows:
● Elastic Beanstalk: It manages the load balancing, scaling servers, and other similar services for you.
● ALB: It routes your HTTP/S traffic to your app instances, making it the best use case for ASP.NET websites.
● Auto-scaling group: It adds or removes the server as on the traffic.
● RDS: It’s a managed SQL or MySQL database from AWS.
Advantages of AWS without NGINX
● Fully Managed: No need to worry about scaling, updates, load balancing, and any other technical stuff related to the server.
● Security: Built-in firewalls, DDoS protection, encryption, and multiple other security features from AWS to protect your data.
● Alerts and updates: AWS has CloudWatch and X-ray to monitor the performance and track errors.
Disadvantages of AWS over NGINX
● Pricing: The costs are too high.
● Customization: You still have limited customization options as it’s a managed server.
● Complexity: Hiring freshers? Well, you will have a tough time explaining AWS to them.
AWS vs NGINX on a VPS or Dedicated server
Now comes the actual comparison of NGINX vs AWS, where NGINX is hosted on a VPS or a dedicated server.
Below is the list
from Linode. Depending on the VPS or bare metal server, these features may
change. 
Note: The performance or features depend on the VPS or bare metal server you have chosen. Some servers offer high-speed with multiple features, while others have limited features. I will do a general comparison here.
Advantages of NGINX on Bare Metal over AWS
● Control and Ownership: You own the server. No AWS lock-ins or restrictions.
● Flexibility and customizations: You can use maximum flexibility and customization options with NGINX.
● Low-cost: VPS will cost you way less compared to AWS.
Disadvantages of NGINX on a Self-hosted Server
● Lack of features: You are missing out on auto-scaling, automatic failover, backup and recovery, etc.
● Responsibility: You own the server. So, you are responsible for the firewall, updates, security, monitoring, backups, etc.
● Host-specific: If you wish to change the host, you may face certain issues in migration and features.
Mixing the Two: NGINX inside AWS
The best option I will suggest is to run NGINX inside an Amazon EC2 instance. All you have to do is install NGINX and deploy your ASP.NET app on it.
NGINX handles the reverse proxy, SSL, caching, and passing traffic to Kestrel, while AWS gives you a stress-free tech infrastructure.
Advantages of Using NGINX and AWS Together
● NGINX and AWS Power: NGINX offers fast static file server loading, load balancing, etc., all with the powerful AWS infrastructure, giving high-performance and no downtime.
● Customization: While AWS-specific customizations are still limited, you can have more control over the NGINX server. You can use WebSocket Handling, IP whitelisting, and other features to set up your environment.
● Cost-effective: EC2 is affordable compared to other managed AWS services.
Disadvantages of Mixing AWS and NGINX
While there are fewer disadvantages to mixing these two, we can’t ignore them.
● Cost comparison: While EC2 is cheaper than other managed services, it will still cost you more as compared to a VPS or a bare metal server.
● Deployment: Setting up EC2 and installing NGINX takes a lot of time and involves a small learning curve as well.
● Features: You are still missing out on important features such as auto-scaling and managed services.
Final Verdict: NGINX vs AWS - Which One to Choose?
All three are good options depending on your requirements. Let me give you a final recommendation on NGINX vs AWS for ASP.NET websites, as my ultimate goal is to help you create a highly optimized, scalable, and cost-efficient website.
Go with AWS Managed services without NGINX if:
● You want minimal server management and have a decent budget.
● You need a highly compliant website with HIPAA, GDPR, etc.
Go with NGINX on a VPS or Dedicated server if:
● You are running on a tight budget.
● You want complete ownership and control, and configuration.
Go with NGINX inside AWS if:
● You have a DevOps team to manage the server.
● You want a balance between AWS reliability and NGINX freedom.
What do I recommend? Well, if you have a decent budget, I suggest you go with NGINX inside AWS.
If you need help in choosing the right hosting environment for your web app, do not hesitate to contact me. I will guide you further.