# Reload The nginx Configuration

If you've modified or replaced the configuration file, nginx will not
immediately start using the updated nginx configuration.
Once a `restart` or `reload` signal is received by nginx, it
will apply the changes. The `reload` signal

```
$ service nginx reload
```

tells nginx to reload the configuration. It will check the validity of the
configuration file and then spawn new worker processes for the latest
configuration. It then sends requests to shut down the old worker processes.
This means that during a *reload* nginx is always up and processing
requests.

[source](http://nginx.org/en/docs/beginners_guide.html)
