NGINX Plus Reviews

Vendor: F5

4.3 out of 5

31 reviews
93% willing to recommend

892 followers

What is NGINX Plus?

NGINX Plus is a versatile solution that offers load balancing, caching, proxying, and API deployment capabilities. It can be deployed on private or public clouds and is ideal for building CDN solutions. The solution can also be used to secure web applications and replace web services like Apache.

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NGINX Plus is the #2 ranked solution in top Application Infrastructure solutions and #5 ranked solution in top Application Delivery Controllers. PeerSpot users give NGINX Plus an average rating of 8.6 out of 10. NGINX Plus is most commonly compared to Microsoft Azure Application Gateway: NGINX Plus vs Microsoft Azure Application Gateway. NGINX Plus is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 62% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 17% of all views.

Helped 831,020 peers since 2012

Featured reviews

Ritesh-Bakhru

Major Account Manager at Check Point Software

NGINX cannot be a replacement for your traditional load balancer with what we use in the network today. However, with applications going toward microservices, NGINX is definitely a way forward. F5 has many traditional load balancing features, so they still need to bring some of those features to NGINX. NGINX is a very basic load balancer and cannot do as many customizations as F5. I think F5 is trying to implement those features in NGINX so they can improve the balancing on NGINX, but I think that will take some time. With the traditional F5 set up, the same OS can do load balancing, firewalls, and even policy enforcement. If we are able to bring some of those capabilities to NGINX, I think it would become a versatile solution and usage would definitely increase.

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Michael Olayemi

Senior Software Engineer at Checkit

The primary valuable feature of NGINX for me is its ability to provide a reverse proxy. I have found that this feature supports our local server, and I am able to connect through our DNS system, making it accessible publicly. Additionally, the integration with SSL certificates and the configuration capabilities make it a valuable solution for my use case. Without NGINX, users would not be able to access our application, which means there is positive ROI from using NGINX as it is crucial for the functioning of my organization.

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Derrick Brockel

Senior Manager of Operations at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees

Support and troubleshooting could be a challenge. For each layer we go through, we need to get an SME. If it is F5, we need a person from F5. Then, if we get into NGINX, we need someone from NGINX. Sometimes, it can be the same person. Since it is another solution on a stack, it can be challenging. F5 has good support. It’s been pretty good.

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NGINX Plus mindshare

Product category:

As of January 2025, the mindshare of NGINX Plus in the Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) category stands at 8.4%, down from 9.3% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)

PeerAnalyst reports

Type	Title	Date
Category	Application Delivery Controllers (ADC)	Jan 17, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Jan 17, 2025	Download
Comparison	NGINX Plus vs NetScaler	Jan 17, 2025	Download
Comparison	NGINX Plus vs F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)	Jan 17, 2025	Download
Comparison	NGINX Plus vs HAProxy	Jan 17, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
Microsoft Azure Application Gateway	3.6	8.5%	78%	46 interviews Add to research
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)	4.1	15.3%	83%	120 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

NGINX Plus is praised for its simplicity, efficiency, and modularity. It excels in load balancing, reverse proxying, and application delivery. Users appreciate its stability, high performance, and lightweight architecture. It integrates well with various systems, offering seamless failover and robust security features like NGINX App Protect. Its ability to handle heavy loads, geographic traffic routing, and excellent community support make it a vital choice for complex deployments and managing network traffic.

"NGINX provides a cost advantage, value addition, and effective support."
"I receive very good support."
"The overall product rating is ten out of ten."

Room for Improvement

NGINX Plus needs enhancements in scalability, memory optimization, and GUI development. Its pricing structure could be more competitive. Improvements in ease of setup and module management would benefit less experienced users. Integration features such as health checks and Grafana visualization are desired. Performance enhancements and better load balancing capabilities could align it closer to traditional options. Users would appreciate simplified configurations, dynamic cluster management, and independent features without mandatory dependencies.

"Initially, I experienced hiccups whenever I installed the application. As with any application, there were initial issues, however, after receiving support, everything was rectified."
"Initially, I experienced hiccups whenever I installed the application."
"One area of improvement could be that NGINX could provide a means to generate self-signed SSL certificates."

ROI

Users consistently reported seeing a return on investment with NGINX Plus. It helped improve website speed and reduce development costs by streamlining app transactions. While NGINX Plus offered flexibility and scalability, some noted that its cost might be higher compared to certain hardware load balancers. However, it was deemed essential for application access and organizational function, ensuring a positive financial outcome even though the calculations for each component's impact were complex.

Pricing

Enterprise users evaluating NGINX Plus find it moderately priced, with costs depending on feature needs. Compared to the free open-source version, NGINX Plus offers advanced features at a mid-range cost. Licensing is annual, socket-based, and tailored for server-specific usage with both affordable and high-cost perspectives. While its modular pricing allows paying only for used features, the initial cost can be significant for large-scale implementations, potentially reaching millions for optimization across many instances.

"There's an open-source version of NGINX that is free."
"The cost is reasonable."
"NGINX Plus is an open-source solution with limited additional features. When you try to get additional features in the solution, then you need to pay an extra amount to NGINX Plus."

Popular Use Cases

Organizations primarily use NGINX Plus for load balancing, reverse proxy, and enhancing web server performance. It's frequently used in microservice and web service architectures to provide application delivery control, scalability, and security, including WAF and API security. Companies benefit from its versatility in managing web traffic, CDN deployments, and failover configurations. NGINX Plus also supports eCommerce, API deployments, and high availability needs while efficiently handling web content and non-SAP protocols.

Service and Support

NGINX Plus customer service and support are rated highly by many. Several users find technical support very good, while some haven't needed it due to strong community resources. Others note long response times with cheaper licenses. Many rely on documentation and community platforms like Reddit and Slack. Some mention challenges due to multilayered support requirements. F5 support is praised, and assistance is available from third-party providers like FYSE for crucial tasks.

Deployment

Many find NGINX Plus's initial setup straightforward, especially those familiar with reverse proxies or load balancers. Some mention it as complex, requiring knowledgeable engineers. Documentation is helpful, and deployment on systems like Ubuntu and cloud environments can be quick, often taking only minutes to a couple of days. A good understanding of configurations is advised, though installation is manageable with a few skilled individuals. Certain configurations might require deeper application-level knowledge.

Scalability

NGINX Plus is recognized for its scalability, allowing seamless expansion by adding VMs and handling up to 1,000 users effectively. Many organizations utilize NGINX Plus on AWS or GCP for dynamic scaling. Users highlight its flexibility and modularity, which support scaling across enterprise scenarios. While technical knowledge is advised for implementation, experiences indicate no significant challenges. Scalability ratings range from seven to ten, affirming its robust performance in varied environments.

Stability

Many users find NGINX Plus stable. They report consistent performance without issues. It's praised for its reliability and uptime, often achieving high marks in stability ratings. Some note that ensuring proper sizing during the design phase is crucial to maintain this stability. There are mentions of occasional connectivity issues, but users generally express satisfaction with its performance. Challenges may arise with scaling, though properly managed installations rarely see major concerns.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our NGINX Plus Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

17%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Comms Service Provider

University

Educational Organization

Insurance Company

Retailer

Hospitality Company

Media Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Real Estate/Law Firm

Non Profit

Construction Company

Outsourcing Company

Wholesaler/Distributor

Transportation Company

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Legal Firm

Performing Arts

Logistics Company

Pharma/Biotech Company

Agriculture

Compare NGINX Plus with alternative products

Learn more about NGINX Plus

NGINX has helped organizations improve functioning, reduce downtimes, and offer a DevOps-friendly solution. Its community support and documentation are highly regarded, and its configuration is more straightforward, making it a recommended choice over HAProxy.

NGINX Plus was previously known as NGINX.