squeeze maximum performance from your hosting platform

Squeeze Maximum Performance from your Hosting Platform

Tenko Nikolov

CEO at SiteGround.com

Why I love this car?

What is behind server performance?

Let’s discuss the speed

• Invest in hardware

Test at least 3 different hardware setups before proceeding.

Always benchmark performance and reliability

Add more RAM and use it on maximum capacity

Speed – Cont’d

• Install RAM caching mechanismsMemcache and APC/Eaccellerator

• Install reverse proxyNginX or Varnish

• Virtualization always makes things slowerResources are shared and at the same time

are lost for the Virtual OS too!

Speed – Cont’d

• Tweak your software to run fasterUse fast & secure PHP like FastCGIMove PHP binaries into RAMMove MySQL to a different hard drive. Use RAID

or SSD for lightning fast performance. If using just one app, tweak MySQL for it! Keep log files separate and small in sizeMove TMP to RAM Avoid creating unneeded I/O, use CDN if possible

Security & Speed?

• Security and Performance don’t come hand in hand, but some things usually help both sides:

Latest OS

Late version of the Linux Kernel

Secure firewall, strong monitoring of access, OS and system files

Performance needs Security

Isolate accounts!

99.9% uptime is achievable!

• Invest in integrating a monitoring and automated reaction system.

• Keep your server load level at minimum at all times.

• If you start overloading your server, its either time to upgrade or to tweak further!

Why every second counts?

Features Zenoss Nagios Our monitoring(1H Guardian)

Services check interval

10 sec 1 min 0.5 sec

Automated reaction

Plugins Plugins Built-in

Automatic load balancing*

NO NO Built-in

Real time status & availability reports

Yes, updates every 1 minute

Yes, updates every 1 minute

YES, updates every 10 seconds

Uptime – Cont’d

• Spread the server resources wisely

Never allow a single user to use all of the server resources at any given time. Limit and throttle if limits are reached and prevent overloads.

Whenever there’s a resource problem, react within seconds and not within minutes or hours.

The big Question: which platform?

DEDICATED VPS

SHARED

CLOUD

The common understanding

The picture CAN be different!

Let’s prove this

But what if we add cache?

Some key takes

• Shared can be a good platform contrary to the common belief, but not always the right one

• If you need custom setup/deep customizations & have a big website -> go for VPS/dedicated

• Dedicated/VPS & Cloud can perform better for you if you KNOW how to tweak them

Your turn to ask

Image courtesy to Flickr user WingedWolf: http://is.gd/4ycgJq

Thank you!Tenko Nikolov

SiteGround.com

Email: tenko@siteground.com

Twitter: @tnikolov