ngx_pagespeed configuration reference

A minimal working block

Drop this into an http or server block. It turns the module on, points it at a writable cache directory, and enables a conservative set of filters:

pagespeed on;
pagespeed FileCachePath /var/cache/ngx_pagespeed;

# Optimization level: CoreFilters is the safe, recommended default
pagespeed RewriteLevel CoreFilters;

# Required handlers for the admin/stats endpoints
location ~ "\.pagespeed\.([a-z]\.)?[a-z]{2}\.[^.]{10}\.[^.]+" { add_header "" ""; }
location ~ "^/pagespeed_static/" { }
location ~ "^/ngx_pagespeed_beacon$" { }

Reload nginx (nginx -t && systemctl reload nginx) and the worker starts optimizing. Confirm with curl -sI https://yoursite/ | grep -i x-page-speed.

Enable the module

pagespeed on; activates optimization for the context it is set in. Set pagespeed off; in a more specific location to exclude a path — for example an API or admin area you do not want rewritten.

Cache path

pagespeed FileCachePath sets the on-disk directory where optimized resources are cached. It must be writable by the nginx worker user. Put it on fast local storage and keep it off a network filesystem:

pagespeed FileCachePath /var/cache/ngx_pagespeed;

Rewrite level

pagespeed RewriteLevel selects a preset bundle of filters. CoreFilters is the recommended default — a tested, safe set that improves most sites without manual tuning. PassThrough enables only the filters you turn on by hand.

pagespeed RewriteLevel CoreFilters;   # recommended default
# pagespeed RewriteLevel PassThrough;  # enable filters individually

Enable individual filters

On top of (or instead of) a rewrite level, turn on specific filters with pagespeed EnableFilters, comma-separated:

pagespeed EnableFilters rewrite_images,collapse_whitespace;
pagespeed EnableFilters combine_css,rewrite_javascript;

Use pagespeed DisableFilters to switch off a single filter from a preset level without dropping the rest.

Full reference

This page covers the directives most installs need to get started. The complete configuration reference — every filter, every directive, and per-engine specifics for 1.1 nginx and 2.0 nginx — lives in the docs on modpagespeed.com.