One of the key powers of OpenResty is the built-in Lua scripting language. For those not familiar with Lua, it's a high-performance, yet lightweight scripting language. This is why, when it's combined with the NGINX event engine, it results in a very powerful combination.
Being a dynamically typed and interpreted language makes Lua similar to other scripting languages, such as JavaScript, but there are some subtle differences (especially syntax-wise). If you're new to Lua, then it's worthwhile reading through a few basic tutorials to familiarize yourself with the syntax and differences.
