ronutz
← All study guides

F5N2

NGINX Configuration: Knowledge (F5N2)

Part of F5 Certified Administrator, NGINX

Online proctored via Certiverse (camera access required) or test-center proctored via Pearson VUE; English; Administrator NGINX level. One of the four exams (taken in any order) that earn F5 Certified Administrator, NGINX (F5-CA, NGINX); the certification is based on NGINX Open Source Software (OSS).

Independent study aid built from the public exam blueprint. Not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by F5. Objectives are transcribed and mapped by hand, so this page may contain mistakes or may have fallen behind the vendor's current material: exam objectives, versions, numbering and availability all change without notice. Treat F5's own certification portal as the source of truth and verify against it before you book anything.

EXAM: Configuration: Knowledge

  • 1.1 Configure NGINX as a load balancer

    What to know:
    • Define the load balancing pools/systems
    • Explain the different load balancing algorithms
    • Describe the process used to remove a server from the pool
    • Describe what happens when a pool server goes down
    • Explain what is unique to NGINX as a load balancer
    • Describe how to configure security
    • Modify or tune a memory zone configuration
    • Describe how to configure NGINX as mirroring server
    • Describe how to configure NGINX as a layer 4 load balancer
    • Describe how to configure NGINX as an API Gateway
    On this site: The TCP Proxy: What a Layer 4 Middlebox Does and Does Not See

  • 1.2 Configure NGINX as a content cache server

    What to know:
    • Define a minimum retention policy
    • Describe how to configure path regex routing
    • Describe the why and how of caching in NGINX
    • Define the cache in the http context
    • Enable the cache
    • Specify the content that should be cached
    • Describe different types of caching
    • Explain what is unique to NGINX as a cache server
    On this site: The NGINX configuration tree: what includes, in what order, and who owns the worker

  • 1.3 Configure NGINX as a web server

    What to know:
    • Demonstrate how to securely serve content (HTTP/HTTPS)
    • Describe the difference between serving static content and dynamic content. (REGEX, and variables)
    • Describe how server and location work
    • Explain what is unique to NGINX as a web server
    On this site: Inbound TLS: Offload, Bridging, and Passthrough at the Reverse Proxy
    Tools: regex

  • 1.4 Configure NGINX as a reverse proxy

    What to know:
    • Explain how traffic routing is handled in NGINX as a reverse proxy
    • Explain what is unique to NGINX as a reverse proxy
    • Configure encryption
    • Demonstrate how to manipulate headers
    • Describe the difference between proxy_set_header and add_header
    • Modify or tune a memory zone configuration
    • Describe how to configure NGINX as socket reserve proxy
    • Describe how open source NGINX handles health checks in different situations
    On this site: HTTP Proxies: Forward vs Reverse, Explicit vs Transparent
    Tools: secure-headers

Public sources, used in good faith

These guides are independent study aids built from publicly available material: published exam blueprints, official product documentation, and vendor training catalogues. Product names, exam codes, and trademarks belong to their owners and are used only to identify the subject being taught. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by any vendor named here. If you hold rights in material published on this page and believe it should be removed or corrected, please send the exact URL and a short note on the issue through the contact page; requests are reviewed promptly and in good faith. Read the full disclaimer →