# A try\_files problem **URL:** \ **Category:** NGINX\ **Created:** [March 5, 2009, 9:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/a-try-files-problem/162112 "2009-03-05T21:02:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MichaSSSSSJaszczyk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@MichaSSSSSJaszczyk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/MichaSSSSSJaszczyk)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 9:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/a-try-files-problem/162112/1 "2009-03-05T21:02:00Z")
Hi, I’m having some hard time with try\_files and rewrite directives. I already spent few hours on this and my brain is exploding :). Can anyone help me? My situation is as follows: I use Nginx to serve static files and proxy dynamic requests to Python backends. That’s simple and my config file looks like this: upstream backend { [http://backend1/](http://backend1/); # more backends } location /static { root /some/path; # some other stuff } location /dynamic { rewrite ^/dynamic/(.\*)$ /$1 break; proxy\_pass [http://backend](http://backend); } My dynamic content has this property: It doesn’t change over time. So each time I send the same request to the backends, the response will always be the same. So I can mirror it using proxy\_store: location /dynamic { rewrite ^/dynamic/(.\*)$ /$1 break; try\_files $uri @backend; } location @backend { proxy\_pass [http://backend](http://backend); proxy\_store $uri; } This works just great. But there’s one gotcha: Some of the requests to the backend have the following form: /special\_request/ID. This ID has many potential values and if I mirror them the way described above, I will end up having a directory with tens (or hundreds) of thousands of files which will kill the file system eventually. So I did the following: location @backend { set $proxy\_store\_path $uri; if ($uri ~ “^/special\_request/([0-9]{2})([0-9]{2})(.\*)$”) { set $proxy\_store\_path /$1/$2/$3; } proxy\_pass [http://backend](http://backend); proxy\_store $proxy\_store\_path; } This also works nice - instead of a flat directory with tons of files I have a nice 2-level hierarchy of directories. But… I also need to apply this idea to the /dynamic location. The most obvious approach is: location /dynamic { rewrite ^/dynamic/(._)$ /$1 break; set $try\_files\_path $uri; if ($uri ~ "^/special\_request/([0-9]{2})([0-9]{2})(._)$") { set $try\_files\_path /$1/$2/$3; } try\_files $try\_files\_path @backend; } But this doesn’t work… I spent many hours trying to figure out how to deal with this, but no success so far… What’s more interesting, in the log file I see a warning that $try\_files\_path is not initialized! How come?? Please help, this problem is melting my brain :). Regards, ---
**Author:** ![MichaSSSSSJaszczyk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@MichaSSSSSJaszczyk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/MichaSSSSSJaszczyk)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 9:23pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/a-try-files-problem/162112/2 "2009-03-05T21:23:47Z")
On Thu, Mar 05, 2009 at 08:52:42PM +0100, Micha?? Jaszczyk wrote: > ``` > # more backends > > ``` > > } > This can be handled by simple: location /dynamic/ { proxy\_pass [http://backend/](http://backend/); } > ``` > proxy_pass http://backend; > proxy_store $uri; > > ``` > > } location /dynamic/ { alias /path/to/; try\_files $uri /backend/$uri; } location /backend/dynamic/ { proxy\_pass [http://backend/](http://backend/); ``` alias /path/to/; proxy_store on; ``` } > ``` > set $proxy_store_path /$1/$2/$3; > > ``` > > location /dynamic { > in the log file I see a warning that $try\_files\_path is not > initialized! How come?? You may try a patch in email with subject “captures in regex locations”: location ~ “^/dynamic/special\_request/([0-9]{2})([0-9]{2})(.\*)$” { set $proxy\_store\_path /$1/$2/$3; ``` try_files $proxy_store_path /backend/$uri; ``` } location /backend/dynamic/ { proxy\_pass [http://backend/](http://backend/); ``` proxy_store $proxy_store_path; ``` } ---
**Author:** ![MichaSSSSSJaszczyk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@MichaSSSSSJaszczyk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/MichaSSSSSJaszczyk)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 11:24pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/a-try-files-problem/162112/3 "2009-03-05T23:24:26Z")
> You may try a patch in email with subject “captures in regex locations”: > > location ~ “^/dynamic/special\_request/([0-9]{2})([0-9]{2})(.\*)$” { >   set $proxy\_store\_path /$1/$2/$3; > >   try\_files  $proxy\_store\_path  /backend/$uri; > } I tried the patch but it I still can’t make it working. Here’s part of my config file: ``` location ~ ``` “^/dynamic/special\_request/([0-9a-f]{2})([0-9a-f]{2})([0-9a-f]{44})$” { root /var/nginx/storage\_cache; set $mirror\_path /$1/$2/$3; try\_files $mirror\_path /storage$uri; } And here’s part of the debug: 2009/03/05 23:11:13 [debug] 14755#0: \*1 using configuration “^/dynamic/special\_request/([0-9a-f]{2})([0-9a-f]{2})([0-9a-f]{44})$” 2009/03/05 23:11:13 [debug] 14755#0: \*1 http cl:-1 max:1048576 2009/03/05 23:11:13 [debug] 14755#0: \*1 generic phase: 3 2009/03/05 23:11:13 [debug] 14755#0: \*1 http script complex value 2009/03/05 23:11:13 [debug] 14755#0: \*1 http script copy: “/” 2009/03/05 23:11:13 [debug] 14755#0: \*1 http script capture: “” 2009/03/05 23:11:13 [debug] 14755#0: \*1 http script copy: “/” 2009/03/05 23:11:13 [debug] 14755#0: \*1 http script capture: “” 2009/03/05 23:11:13 [debug] 14755#0: \*1 http script copy: “/” 2009/03/05 23:11:13 [debug] 14755#0: \*1 http script capture: “” 2009/03/05 23:11:13 [debug] 14755#0: \*1 http script set $mirror\_path It seems like captures are not used. Any idea? Regards,