Performance Analysis of Nginx and Apache2 Web Servers on Debian Using Stress Testing Methods

Jusnan Panggabean; Adri Muliadi Pasaribu; Lotar Mateus Sinaga

doi:10.59934/jaiea.v5i3.2599

Authors

Jusnan Panggabean Universitas Katolik Santo Thomas Medan
Adri Muliadi Pasaribu Universitas Katolik Santo Thomas Medan
Lotar Mateus Sinaga Universitas Katolik Santo Thomas Medan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59934/jaiea.v5i3.2599

Keywords:

Web Server, Nginx, Apache2, Debian, Stress Testing

Abstract

Web servers play a crucial role in supporting web-based services by receiving and processing user requests. The performance of a web server is one of the key factors that determines service quality, especially when the server is required to handle a large number of concurrent users. Therefore, selecting an appropriate web server is essential to ensure optimal system performance.

This study aims to compare the performance of two widely used web servers, Nginx and Apache2, running on the Debian operating system using a stress testing approach. The testing process was conducted by generating simultaneous access loads using several benchmarking tools, including Apache Benchmark (ab), Autocannon, and JMeter. The performance parameters evaluated in this study include throughput, latency, requests per second (RPS), response time, and server resource utilization such as CPU and memory usage.

The results show that Nginx is able to handle a large number of concurrent connections more effectively than Apache2. This is indicated by its lower latency values and higher requests-per-second performance. Meanwhile, Apache2 demonstrates relatively stable throughput across various testing scenarios. Based on the findings, Nginx is recommended for environments with high traffic demands and resource efficiency requirements. On the other hand, Apache2 remains a suitable choice for applications that require greater configuration flexibility and extensive module support.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Januhandini, R., & Oktiawati, U. Y. (2025). Analisis Kinerja Web Server Apache, Nginx, dan Caddy dengan Metode Stress Testing Menggunakan Autocannon. Journal of Internet and Software Engineering, 6(2), 96–100.

Khamidah, Y. N., dkk. (2024). Pengaruh Client Request Pada Web Server Apache dan Nginx. Techno, 25(1)

Faisal, F., dkk. (2025). Analisis Kinerja Web Server Apache, Nginx, dan Caddy. Journal of Informatics and Computer Science. [4] Azi, M., Arifwidodo, B., & Wahyudi, E. (2023). Analisis Performansi Web Server Saat Menangani Permintaan Client Menggunakan Metode Reserve Proxy Caching dan Varnish. Journal of Telecommunication Electronics and Control Engineering (JTECE), 5(1), 14-21. https://doi.org/10.20895/jtece.v5i1.843

Herman, A. M., Wicoksono, W., Panchadria, P. A., & Laela, N. L. B. (2025). Performance Comparison of NGINX, Apache, and Lighttpd Using WRK on a Debian. Bit-Tech, 8(1).

Shao, P., Huang, L., Weng, L., & Liu, Z. (2024). Technical Support System for High Concurrent Power Trading Platforms Based on Microservice Load Balancing. Processes, 12(6). [6] R. Januhandini and U. Y. Oktiawati, “Analisis Kinerja Web Server Apache, Nginx, dan Caddy dengan Metode Stress Testing Menggunakan Autocannon”, JISE, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 96 - 100, Nov. 2025

irwan, I. I., Avrillaila Akbar Harahap, Dadang Heksaputra, & Tri Rochmadi. (2026). Perancangan Sistem Informasi Pelayanan Servis Elektronik Berbasis Website pada Sahabat Phone Metode Prototype. Jurnal SINTA: Sistem Informasi Dan Teknologi Komputasi, 3(1), 61–70. https://doi.org/10.61124/sinta.v3i1.161

Azi, M., Arifwidodo, B., & Wahyudi, E. (2023). Analisis Performansi Web Server Saat Menangani Permintaan Client Menggunakan Metode Reserve Proxy Caching dan Varnish. Journal of Telecommunication Electronics and Control Engineering (JTECE), 5(1), 14-21. https://doi.org/10.20895/jtece.v5i1.843

Azis, A., Sugiarti, Y., Kumaladewi, N., & Huda, M. Q. (2019). Designing and Building an Information System of Career Development and Alumni Based on Android (Case Study: Information Systems Department, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta). 2018 6th International Conference on Cyber and IT Service Management, CITSM 2018, Citsm, 15

A. Annisa, M. Ardiana, P. N. Rahayu, T. Brian, and M. A. Jami’in, “Performance Evaluation of Web Applications Using JMeter Load Testing for Server Capacity and Response Efficiency”, JAIC, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 585–590, Feb. 2026.

W. Wicoksono, Herman Azzra Mustaqhim, Panchadria Pramana Anwas, and Laela Neng Linda Badratul, “Performance Comparison of NGINX, Apache, and Lighttpd Using WRK on a Debian”, bit-Tech, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 670–680, Aug. 2025.

R. Januhandini and U. Y. Oktiawati, “Analisis Kinerja Web Server Apache, Nginx, dan Caddy dengan Metode Stress Testing Menggunakan Autocannon”, JISE, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 96 - 100, Nov. 2025

Nur Hidayat, A. M., Rizaldy, A., Hartono, N., & Harwalis. (2024). Pengujian Kinerja Web Server Elastic Cloud Compute (EC2) Free Tier pada Amazon Web Service Menggunakan JMeter. Jurnal Sistem Informasi dan Informatika, 7(1).

Perdana, G. P., dkk. (2025). Analisis Perbandingan Performa Web Server Apache, Nginx, OpenLiteSpeed, dan Caddy. JINACS.

Nur Hidayat, A. M., Rizaldy, A., Hartono, N., & Harwalis. (2024). Pengujian Kinerja Web Server Elastic Cloud Compute (EC2) Free Tier pada Amazon Web Service Menggunakan JMeter. Jurnal Sistem Informasi dan Informatika, 7(1).

Herman et al. (2025), yang menggunakan konfigurasi lingkungan pengujian yang seragam untuk membandingkan performa web server secara objektif.