Nginx: 24: Too Many Open Files Error And Solution

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If you’re seeing a “Too many open files” error on Nginx, it means that the operating system’s limit on the number of open files has been reached. This can happen when Nginx is running a high-traffic website, serving a large number of requests, and opening a large number of files.

Here are some possible solutions for this error:

  1. Increase the open files limit: You can increase the open files limit on your system by modifying the “ulimit” settings. The “ulimit” command is used to set various resource limits for a user. For example, to increase the open files limit to 100,000, you can use the following command:
    ulimit -n 100000

    You can add this command to your Nginx startup script so that the limit is increased automatically every time Nginx is started.

  2. Increase the worker_connections setting: In the Nginx configuration file, you can increase the “worker_connections” setting to allow Nginx to handle more connections. For example, you can add the following line to your Nginx configuration file to increase the worker_connections setting to 1024:
    worker_connections 1024;

    Note that increasing this setting can increase the memory usage of Nginx, so you should monitor the system’s memory usage.

  3. Optimize file handling: You can optimize how Nginx handles files to reduce the number of open files. For example, you can use the “sendfile” directive in the Nginx configuration file to enable Nginx to send files without opening them. You can also use the “open_file_cache” and “open_file_cache_valid” directives to cache file descriptors and reduce the number of file openings.
    sendfile on;
    open_file_cache max=1000 inactive=20s;
    open_file_cache_valid 30s;
    open_file_cache_min_uses 2;
    open_file_cache_errors on;
  4. Reduce the keepalive timeout: By reducing the keepalive timeout in the Nginx configuration file, you can force Nginx to close connections more quickly and reduce the number of open connections.
    keepalive_timeout 5s;

These solutions can help you address the “Too many open files” error on Nginx. However, it’s important to monitor the system’s resource usage and make adjustments as needed to ensure optimal performance and stability.

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