Installing Zstandard for NGINX from packages: ngx_mzstd

Q: Which ngx_mzstd package do I need?

With nginx from nginx.org, `nginx-module-mzstd`. With Debian's or Ubuntu's own nginx, `libnginx-mod-http-mzstd`. With the nginx of RHEL 10, AlmaLinux 10 or Rocky Linux 10, `nginx-mod-mzstd`.

Q: Do I need a load_module line after installing the package?

Only with nginx.org's nginx: add `load_module modules/ngx_mzstd.so;` at the top of `/etc/nginx/nginx.conf`. The packages for the distributions' own nginx install a configuration file that loads the module.

Q: Which encoding wins when both Brotli and Zstandard modules are loaded?

Zstandard. When a client accepts both, nginx answers with `Content-Encoding: zstd`, whatever order ngx_mbrotli and ngx_mzstd are loaded in.

Q: Is reload enough after upgrading the module package?

No. The nginx master process keeps the old `.so` loaded across a reload, so run `sudo systemctl restart nginx`.

ngx_mzstd adds Zstandard compression to NGINX. It is a drop-in replacement for tokers/zstd-nginx-module, written in Rust on top of the mzstd encoder, so it needs no zstd C library, and it can compress on NGINX thread pools. This post installs it from packages. If there is no package for your system, build it from source.

Every command below was run on 22 October 2026 on fresh containers of Debian 13 and AlmaLinux 10 with their own nginx, and of Ubuntu 24.04, Rocky Linux 9 and Amazon Linux 2023 with nginx.org’s nginx. Each one ended with nginx answering Content-Encoding: zstd.

Find out which nginx you run

Each module package is built against one exact nginx package, so the package to install depends on where your nginx came from:

nginx -v
apt-cache policy nginx    # Debian, Ubuntu
rpm -q nginx              # RHEL and derivatives, Amazon Linux

nginx.org’s packages have versions like 1.30.6-1~noble on Debian and Ubuntu and end in .ngx on RPM systems, as in nginx-1.30.6-1.el9.ngx. Anything else is the distribution’s own nginx.

System	nginx from	Package
Debian 12, 13; Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04, 26.04	nginx.org	`nginx-module-mzstd`
Debian 13, Ubuntu 26.04	the distribution	`libnginx-mod-http-mzstd`
RHEL, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Oracle Linux 8–10; Amazon Linux 2023	nginx.org	`nginx-module-mzstd`
RHEL, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux 10	the distribution	`nginx-mod-mzstd`

All packages are built for amd64 and arm64. The module needs nginx 1.25.4 or newer, which rules out the nginx that Debian 12, Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04, and RHEL 8 and 9 ship: on those systems, install nginx from nginx.org as shown below.

Debian and Ubuntu with nginx.org’s nginx

If nginx is not from nginx.org yet, add its repository first. These are nginx.org’s instructions for Ubuntu; on Debian, replace ubuntu-keyring with debian-archive-keyring and ubuntu in the URL with debian.

sudo apt install curl gnupg2 ca-certificates lsb-release ubuntu-keyring
curl https://nginx.org/keys/nginx_signing.key | gpg --dearmor \
    | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/nginx-archive-keyring.gpg >/dev/null
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/nginx-archive-keyring.gpg] \
https://nginx.org/packages/ubuntu `lsb_release -cs` nginx" \
    | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/nginx.list
printf "Package: *\nPin: origin nginx.org\nPin: release o=nginx\nPin-Priority: 900\n" \
    | sudo tee /etc/apt/preferences.d/99nginx
sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx

Then add the module repository and install the module:

curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/m-compressors/ngx_mzstd/setup.deb.sh' | sudo -E bash
sudo apt-get install nginx-module-mzstd

The setup script comes from Cloudsmith, which hosts the repository. It adds the repository’s signing key and an apt source; download it and read it first if you prefer.

Like nginx.org’s own nginx-module-* packages, this one installs the module without enabling it. Add this line to the very top of /etc/nginx/nginx.conf:

load_module modules/ngx_mzstd.so;

Debian 13 and Ubuntu 26.04 with their own nginx

sudo apt-get install nginx
curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/m-compressors/ngx_mzstd/setup.deb.sh' | sudo -E bash
sudo apt-get install libnginx-mod-http-mzstd

As with Debian’s own module packages, the module is enabled on installation through /etc/nginx/modules-enabled/, so there is no load_module line to add.

RHEL, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux and Amazon Linux with nginx.org’s nginx

If nginx is not from nginx.org yet, create /etc/yum.repos.d/nginx.repo:

[nginx-stable]
name=nginx stable repo
baseurl=https://nginx.org/packages/centos/$releasever/$basearch/
gpgcheck=1
enabled=1
gpgkey=https://nginx.org/keys/nginx_signing.key
module_hotfixes=true

On Amazon Linux 2023 the baseurl is https://nginx.org/packages/amzn/2023/$basearch/, and nginx.org also adds priority=9. Then install nginx and the module:

sudo dnf install nginx
curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/m-compressors/ngx_mzstd/setup.rpm.sh' | sudo -E bash
sudo dnf install nginx-module-mzstd

dnf asks you to accept the repository’s signing key. Add the load_module line to the top of /etc/nginx/nginx.conf:

load_module modules/ngx_mzstd.so;

RHEL 10 with its own nginx

This covers the default AppStream nginx on RHEL 10, AlmaLinux 10 and Rocky Linux 10:

sudo dnf install nginx
curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/m-compressors/ngx_mzstd/setup.rpm.sh' | sudo -E bash
sudo dnf install nginx-mod-mzstd

The package enables the module through /usr/share/nginx/modules/mod-mzstd.conf, which the stock nginx.conf includes.

nginx.org mainline

For nginx.org’s mainline nginx, use the ngx_mzstd-mainline repository. The package name stays the same:

curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/m-compressors/ngx_mzstd-mainline/setup.deb.sh' | sudo -E bash

Use setup.rpm.sh instead of setup.deb.sh on RPM systems.

Turn compression on

The module does nothing until compression is switched on. Put this in /etc/nginx/conf.d/zstd.conf, which every nginx above includes inside http:

zstd on;
zstd_comp_level 3;
zstd_types text/plain text/css application/javascript application/json image/svg+xml;

text/html is compressed by default and does not need to be listed. Check the configuration, restart nginx and ask for Zstandard:

sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl restart nginx
curl -sS -o /dev/null -D - -H 'Accept-Encoding: zstd' http://localhost/ | grep -i content-encoding

The answer is Content-Encoding: zstd. If you also run ngx_mbrotli, a browser that accepts both gets Zstandard, in either load_module order.

To keep large responses from blocking other requests, the module can compress on a thread pool with zstd_thread_pool default;. This needs nginx built with --with-threads, which nginx -V shows. The ngx_mzstd README has the numbers and the trade-offs, including the extra memory a pool needs.

Upgrades

The module package requires the exact nginx package it was built for, so nginx and the module are upgraded together. The version shows the pairing: nginx.org packages put nginx first, as in 1.30.6+0.2.3, and the distribution packages put the module first, as in 0.2.3+1.26.3.

After an upgrade, restart nginx rather than reloading it. A reload keeps the master process, and the master keeps the old module loaded.

Moving from tokers/zstd-nginx-module

Existing zstd* directives keep working unchanged. The packages conflict with the old module’s, such as nginx-module-zstd, so remove those first. Also delete any load_module lines that load the old .so files: the old and new modules have the same names, and nginx refuses to load a module name twice.

Questions

Which ngx_mzstd package do I need?

With nginx from nginx.org, nginx-module-mzstd. With Debian’s or Ubuntu’s own nginx, libnginx-mod-http-mzstd. With the nginx of RHEL 10, AlmaLinux 10 or Rocky Linux 10, nginx-mod-mzstd.

Do I need a load_module line after installing the package?

Only with nginx.org’s nginx: add load_module modules/ngx_mzstd.so; at the top of /etc/nginx/nginx.conf. The packages for the distributions’ own nginx install a configuration file that loads the module.

Which encoding wins when both Brotli and Zstandard modules are loaded?

Zstandard. When a client accepts both, nginx answers with Content-Encoding: zstd, whatever order ngx_mbrotli and ngx_mzstd are loaded in.

Can I keep my tokers/zstd-nginx-module configuration?

Yes. ngx_mzstd has the same directives and defaults. Remove the old module’s packages and load_module lines first: the packages conflict, and nginx refuses to load two modules with the same name.

Is reload enough after upgrading the module package?

No. The nginx master process keeps the old .so loaded across a reload, so run sudo systemctl restart nginx.