Speed Up VestaCP On Centos 7 Nginx Apache

Overview of the Setup

VestaCP is a popular hosting control panel that uses a set of open source servers and applications to provide hosting services for websites. It currently supports Linux (CentOS) and currently ships with Apache, Nginx, PHP and MySQL by default. Running a server or website on VestaCP is not a difficult task, but optimizing it for performance is. This guide will walk you though the basics of speeding up your VestaCP server running on CentOS 7, as well as how to get the most out of the Apache and Nginx web servers.

Configure Apache Settings For Performance

Apache is one of the most popular web servers around and it can be used to host dynamic websites and applications. Apache is a powerful server, but its performance can be improved by tweaking some of the settings to make the most of the available hardware. Here are some settings you can tweak in the /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf file:

• Enable the “keepalives” settings, which allow the same connection to be reused, reducing the amount of time Apache waits for new connections.
• Lower the number of children and spare servers, which are used to handle new requests.
• Set the “maxclients” variable, which will tell Apache to handle a certain number of requests per second.
• Raise the “Timeout” setting, which determines how long Apache will wait for an answer before closing the connection.
• Configure Apache to use multiple server threads to handle requests.

By tweaking the settings above, you can make Apache more efficient and responsive. It is also important to keep the Apache configuration clean and organized to prevent any potential problems. Cleaning the configuration can be done by disabling any unnecessary modules, as well as removing any unneeded directives from the configuration file.

Configure Nginx for Performance

Nginx is a high-performance web server that is gaining in popularity thanks to its small footprint and low memory requirements. Like Apache, Nginx can be configured to improve its performance on a busy server. Here are some settings you can tweak in the /etc/nginx/nginx.conf file:

• Enable the “keepalives” settings, which allow the same connection to be reused, reducing the amount of time Nginx waits for new connections.
• Lower the number of worker processes, which are used to handle new requests.
• Set the “worker_connections” variable, which will tell Nginx to handle a certain number of requests per second.
• Raise the “keepalive_timeout” setting, which determines how long Nginx will wait for an answer before closing the connection.
• Configure Nginx to use multiple server threads to handle requests.

By tweaking the settings above, you can make Nginx more efficient and responsive. It is also important to keep the Nginx configuration clean and organized to prevent any potential problems. Cleaning the configuration can be done by disabling any unnecessary modules, as well as removing any unneeded directives from the configuration file.

Install and Configure PHP for Performance

PHP can be a major bottleneck on web servers, so it’s important to configure it for maximum performance. Here are some settings you can tweak in the /etc/php.ini file:

• Set the “max_execution_time” setting, which controls the maximum amount of time a script can run before it is terminated by the PHP engine.
• Set the “memory_limit” setting, which will limit the amount of memory a PHP script is allowed to use.
• Disable unwanted PHP extensions, such as cURL or GD, which can add unnecessary overhead.
• Enable the “zlib.output_compression” setting, which will compress the output of PHP scripts, reducing the amount of data transferred between the server and the client.

By tweaking these settings, you can make PHP run more efficiently and free up more server resources for other tasks. Additionally, you should look into using a PHP accelerator, such as OpCache or eAccelerator, which can cache the compiled bytecode of PHP scripts, significantly reducing the amount of time required to serve a request.

Install and Configure MySQL for Performance

MySQL can be a major bottleneck on a web server, so it’s important to configure it for maximum performance. Here are some settings you can tweak in the /etc/my.cnf file:

• Set the “max_connections” setting, which will limit the number of simultaneous connections to the database.
• Set the “query_cache_size” setting, which will enable caching of common queries for faster execution.
• Set the “read_buffer_size” and “read_rnd_buffer_size” settings, which will allow MySQL to read more data from disk in a single read.
• Enable the “bulk_insert_buffer_size” setting, which can improve the performance of bulk inserts into the database.
• Enable the “sort_buffer_size” setting, which will improve the performance of order by and group by queries.

By tweaking these settings, you can make MySQL run faster and more efficiently. Additionally, you should periodically check the database for any issues with inefficient queries or other potential problems.

Conclusion

VestaCP running on CentOS 7 is a great choice for hosting dynamic websites and applications. However, in order to get the most out of it, it is important to optimize the setup for performance. This guide has covered the basics of tweaking Apache, Nginx, PHP and MySQL for maximum performance on a VestaCP server. By following these steps, you will be able to get the most out of the hardware and make your sites and applications run faster and more efficiently.

FAQs

Q: How can I improve the performance of my VestaCP server?

A: For VestaCP servers running on CentOS 7, you can tweak settings in the Apache, Nginx, PHP and MySQL configuration files to improve performance. Additionally, you can use a PHP accelerator, such as OpCache or eAccelerator, to cache compiled bytecode of PHP scripts.

Q: How often should I check the MySQL database for any issues?

A: You should periodically check the MySQL database for any issues with inefficient queries or other potential problems.

Thank you for reading this article. For more articles on optimizing web servers and applications, please read our other articles.