# Proxy pass keepalive without upstream module

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/proxy-pass-keepalive-without-upstream-module/228693>\
**Category:** NGINX\
**Created:** [May 3, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/proxy-pass-keepalive-without-upstream-module/228693 "2013-05-03T13:41:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rkoskela](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@rkoskela](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rkoskela)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/proxy-pass-keepalive-without-upstream-module/228693/1 "2013-05-03T13:41:37Z")

</div>

Hi  
I read here that keepalives to backend can be enabled with the upstream  
module  
([Module ngx\_http\_upstream\_module](http://nginx.org/en/docs/http/ngx_http_upstream_module.html#keepalive))  
But can they be used without defining an upstream block? Just a simple  
proxy\_pass as the backend is a variable in my case: ‘proxy\_pass  
$proxy\_to;’

Many thanks

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rkoskela](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@rkoskela](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rkoskela)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2013, 12:37am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/proxy-pass-keepalive-without-upstream-module/228693/2 "2013-05-04T00:37:48Z")

</div>

Hello!

On Fri, May 03, 2013 at 12:41:02PM +0100, Richard K. wrote:

> Hi  
> I read here that keepalives to backend can be enabled with the  
> upstream module  
> ([Module ngx\_http\_upstream\_module](http://nginx.org/en/docs/http/ngx_http_upstream_module.html#keepalive))  
> But can they be used without defining an upstream block? Just a  
> simple proxy\_pass as the backend is a variable in my case:  
> ‘proxy\_pass $proxy\_to;’

No.

–  
Maxim D.

> **[nginx: donation](http://nginx.org/en/donation.html)**