This page has Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and their associated answers:
1.) Question: Is it possible to run Lighttpd or Nginx as a Windows service?
Answer: Yes. Microsoft’s website has a good explanation. [wayback machine’s archived link] (Thanks to Martin Kirsche.)
2.) Question: Can Lighttpd use FastCGI with PHP and MySQL on Windows?
Answer: No. Currently the FastCGI implementation does not work properly on Windows. To use PHP and MySQL with Lighttpd on Windows, use CGI.
3.) Question: Can the windows version of Nginx (or Lighttpd) be installed anywhere besides C:\nginx (or C:\lighttpd)?
Answer: The short answer is No. It is compiled statically using Cygwin. The long answer is yes, providing that I create a custom-compiled version specifically for you. I have done this on a consulting basis in the past for a fee. Please contact me if you are interested.
On Windows 7 you can override the location with the following command:
Mklink /D c:\nginx C:\SomePathThatYouWant\nginx
4.) Question: Where can I get your source code for Nginx? Lighttpd?
Answer: I use the same source code as the original provider. For Nginx: nginx.org, for Lighttpd: lighttpd.net
5.) What is the difference between your Cygwin builds and the official Windows builds?
Answer: I think the official builds use Microsoft Visual Studio – it is a native build.
My versions are built to support legacy users who are already using Cygwin based builds of Nginx.
6.) Which version should I use? Your Cygwin build, or the official?
Answer: If you are not sure which version to use, the answer is to use the officially supported Windows binaries at nginx.org
7.) Can you compile gridfs module / sticky module / geoip module / xyz123, etc. module support into Nginx for Windows?
Answer: Sorry, but I do not compile in extra modules. If you need a specific module, you can compile your own Nginx for Windows version with support for the module(s) you need.
8.) Is the 64-bit version of Nginx for Windows *really* 64-bit? Windows shows it as a 32-bit binary.
Answer: Older versions were built on 32-bit on Windows 7 32-bit Ultimate and the 64-bit on Windows 7 64-bit Ultimate. Back then Cygwin was 32-bit only, that’s why both versions come up as a 32-bit executable. Newer builds use Cygwin64 – a real 64-bit environment, so these Nginx builds are truly 64-bit.
If you’d like to ask a question or suggest a question and answer to list here, please Contact me.
