Is it preferable to serve static files using Express or nginx in Node.js?

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For development, the preferred choice is Express due to its flexibility. It allows for easy changes to the static location and structure during development.

For production, Nginx is recommended as it is significantly faster. While Node/Express excel at executing logic, Nginx outperforms in serving raw content. Additionally, Nginx provides additional capabilities such as gzip compression and load balancing.

However, this question has been frequently asked on Stack Overflow. You can find more discussions on the topic:

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The Express documentation explicitly advises utilizing a reverse proxy whenever possible. According to this article:

Nginx is much more efficient in handling static files and can prevent requests for non-dynamic content from overwhelming our node processes.

There are numerous articles available that delve into the topic with greater depth, but it is strongly recommended to follow the guidance provided by the Express developers.

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