diff --git a/nginx.conf b/nginx.conf
index ee0571d5e..703198e76 100644
--- a/nginx.conf
+++ b/nginx.conf
@@ -175,17 +175,21 @@ server {
         proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
         proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
     }
-    
-    # Root location with no caching
+
+    # Root location with short Nginx cache but no browser cache
     location = / {
         proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
+        
+        # Tell browsers not to cache
         add_header Cache-Control "no-store, no-cache, must-revalidate, proxy-revalidate";
         add_header Pragma "no-cache";
         add_header Expires "0";
         
-        # Disable proxy cache for index.html
-        proxy_no_cache 1;
-        proxy_cache_bypass 1;
+        # But let Nginx cache for 1 second to reduce load
+        proxy_cache STATIC;
+        proxy_cache_valid 200 302 1s;
+        proxy_cache_use_stale error timeout updating http_500 http_502 http_503 http_504;
+        proxy_cache_lock on;
         
         # Show cache status in response headers
         add_header X-Cache-Status $upstream_cache_status;