Challenge 2: A Regex Block Beats a Plain Prefix Block Written Earlier — Solution Walkthrough

Which block actually handles the request:

The regex block, location ~* \.(jpg|png)$ { ... }, handles the
request for /images/photo.jpg — not the plain prefix block, location
/images/ { ... }, even though that prefix block was written first in
the config file.

Why file order doesn't decide this:

Per this chapter's own precedence section, Nginx checks location
types in a fixed algorithmic order, not simply top to bottom through
the file. Plain prefix matches are only used as a fallback once every
regex location has been checked and none of them matched. Since
/images/photo.jpg does match the regex \.(jpg|png)$, that regex block
wins regardless of which block appears first in the file — the plain
prefix block never even gets a chance to handle this particular
request.

Where file order actually does matter:

If there had been two or more regex blocks that could both match the
same request, the order those regex blocks are written in relative to
each other would decide which one wins (first match, in file order).
That's a completely different comparison from prefix-vs-regex, which
is what's actually being tested in this exercise.

WHY THIS WORKS AS AN ANSWER
------------------------------
This exercise directly targets the exact misconception this chapter's
own warning box calls out — correctly identifying that regex always
beats a plain prefix regardless of file order, and that file order
only matters when comparing regex blocks against each other.