Reduce Server Response Time

This is no-brainer that servers ought to act fast each time a webpage is being opened by one or countless individuals. If that is slower than a visitor might expect then it is a sure turn off for many and they likely won’t visit the next time. Though it happens once in a while, yet a site owner should never risk it, especially if they are selling something online. Of course, it is a huge loss to a business because the slow response can also occur at the time of online payments. The visitor who actually converted will never visit to purchase again.

Technically speaking, server response time (SRT) is defined as the time required for a web browser to receive the web page(s) right after making a request. It is measured by finding out the time taken which is required by 1 byte of a web page to get received by the browser. The SRT should be below 200 ms. If it is more than that, it affects the visitors’ tendency to wait for more or visit again.

There are many ways to reduce server response time that a person should know in order to prevent the slow loading issue or resolve it if that ever happens. Below is the list of same.

Reduce Server Response Time

1. Server optimization – Once the web server is being chosen, the easiest route would be to go with the default settings. Though it is recommended to make alterations. If the default approach is followed then one must know that each web server configuration is different and that depends on the requirements what kind of modifications could be well suited.

2. Minimize bloating – When CMS (Content Management System) sites like WordPress, Magento, and Joomla are involved, bloating happens. This occurs if the site is not carefully managed. By this, it implies to optimize (count/size of image, compression, etc.) the images that are used in the websites Though bloat may still happen even if CMS sites aren’t included.

3. Database optimization – The database of a site must ensure that it retrieves the requested data as early as possible so that the efficiency is proven. Slow queries are one of the primary reasons for slow servers. The database optimization can be executed as under:

• Rewrite queries to allow them to return only what’s required keeping performance in mind. For instance, the loops will keep sending the queries back and forth to the database that eventually wastes time. Joins can be used instead of that because it combines the whole logic into one and that can be sent altogether resulting in transparency and better efficiency.

• Use Indexes whenever and wherever necessary though avoid overdoing it as it needs separate disk space and one may need to keep deleting those indexes after a while.
• Change Schema by grouping tables, stored procedures, and views properly.

4. Choose web server carefully – For beginners, it is quite difficult to decide which server may suit better.

• Apache is a very popular server and has been in use for very long. It is free, though one requires to know about it in detail. If you are not technically sound enough then it is better to hire someone else who is well versed in this. PHP runs on an average speed with Apache.

• Litespeed is yet another web server that comes in both free and paid versions. It is compatible with Apache. It respects third-party plugins that are attached to Apache. Users of Apache can easily use Litespeed without any trouble. PHP runs 6 times faster in case with Litespeed.

• Nginx is another powerful web server which uses fewer resources and can, therefore, tackle very high amount of traffic that no other web server can. It has gained enormous popularity, especially among those that need to manage users in thousands or even in millions. PHP runs quickly with Nginx as well.

5. Reverse proxy cache – Caching website is a must. If not done, it would load the original web page too much that the continuous requests would turn it into a total crash. Caching helps in offering the exact copy of the main web page to reduce the server response time.

The reverse proxy cache such as Varnish sits in front of the server and receives the request from the client browser. The cache hit is an indication of the presence of cache, whereas cache miss indicates just the opposite. In case of presence, the cache is displayed to the client; if cache is absent, the request is being made to the main server to provide the access of the cache so that the next time a user requests, they receive what they looked for.

Apachebooster is a cPanel plugin that handles the server load at the time of peak network traffic so as to maintain the consistency of swiftness. It reduces the server response time by many folds. This is because it contains both Nginx (web server) and Varnish (reverse proxy cache) that superbly manage the whole thing.

One may also go for searching for software tools to reduce server response time. Finding the right kind of plugin is a tricky task to accomplish. A person always looks for the one that is affordable, and at the same time, provides tremendous results. Moreover, if the software plugin (whichever it may be) is not appropriately installed, the server may still not show the right results as expected.