How location matching works

In location basics you saw a plain location / block. That is only one of the nginx location match types. Each type compares the request URL in a different way, and picking the right one is how you control which block handles a request.

What are the five nginx location match types?

Every location has a modifier (or none) that decides how it compares against the request path.

location /images/ { }      # prefix (no modifier)
location = /favicon.ico { }  # exact match
location ~ \.php$ { }       # regex, case-sensitive
location ~* \.(jpg|png)$ { }  # regex, case-insensitive
location ^~ /assets/ { }    # prefix, stops regex search

Prefix match (no modifier)

A plain location /path matches if the request URL starts with that string.

location /images/ {
    root /var/www/site;
}

This matches /images/, /images/logo.png, and /images/icons/cart.svg. It does not need to match the whole URL, just the beginning.

Exact match =

The = modifier matches only if the URL is exactly equal to the string.

location = /favicon.ico {
    root /var/www/site;
}

This matches /favicon.ico and nothing else. Not /favicon.ico/, not /favicon.icon. It is the fastest check, great for single, hot URLs.

Regex match ~ and ~*

A regex location uses a regular expression instead of a fixed string. ~ is case-sensitive, ~* is case-insensitive.

location ~ \.php$ {
    # only .php (lowercase)
}

location ~* \.(jpg|jpeg|png|gif)$ {
    # .jpg, .JPG, .Png ... all match
}

The $ anchors the match to the end of the URL, so \.php$ matches paths ending in .php. Regex is how you match by file extension or a pattern rather than a folder.

A common trip-up: ~ is case-sensitive, so \.php$ will not match a request for /index.PHP. Uploads and hand-typed URLs do show up in mixed case, and reaching for ~* after the fact means editing config under pressure. If a rule targets a file extension, ~* is usually the safer default.

Prefix that beats regex ^~

^~ is a prefix match (like a plain one), but with a promise: if this prefix is the best match, nginx will not run any regex locations afterwards.

location ^~ /assets/ {
    root /var/www/site;
}

Everything under /assets/ is served from disk, even if a regex like ~* \.png$ also exists. You will see exactly why that matters in the next lesson.

FAQ

Do I need the trailing slash in a prefix location?

No, but it changes what matches. location /img also matches /imgabc, while location /img/ only matches paths under /img/. Use the slash when you mean a folder.

Which type should I use most?

Plain prefix locations for folders, = for single files like /favicon.ico, and regex for extension rules. Reach for ^~ only when a prefix must win over a regex.

Is location / a catch-all?

Yes. Since every URL starts with /, a plain location / matches everything as a fallback. It has the shortest prefix, so any longer match wins over it.