Web application performance tuning

gistfile1.md

Clientside profiling (ABSOLUTE MUST)

You can either:

• Do it yourself:
  • Hook into the Navigation and Resource timing API
  • Emit requests to a static nginx webserver
  • The nginx server should return a 200 empty response
  • Parse the access_log with logstash
  • Monitor the performance with graphite
• Or, use a SaaS ($$$), e.g.
  • Soasta
  • Librato

Debugging PHP:

Develop with xDebug and webgrind (a GUI) locally. Use XHProf and XHGui (a GUI) on production. Optionally also use php-meminfo.

Extra:

Working in symfony? Use the symfony debug toolbar on production, just make sure the visitors can't see it and dump data every once in a while.

Profiling PHP:

• Qafoo profiler
• Blackfire
• New Relic

Some other best practices:

• Gzip input and output
• Hire/buy a CDN for assets
• Look at database indexes and slow queries
• Run EXPLAIN EXTENDED on slow queries.
• Minify JavaScript and CSS files.
• Send correct cache headers
• Use an Opcache (included in php 5.5.0+)
• Upgrade to the latest stable PHP version.
• Cache all your data when possible.
• Use the Spdy/HTTP2 protocol.
• Minimalize unnecessary redirects (scan access_log).
• Compress images or inject base64 encoded ones in your HTML.
• Compress HTML (remove whitespace).
• Check Yslow pagespeed.
• Enable Dns-prefetch on tags (see http://davidwalsh.name/html5-prefetch).
• Offload long-running tasks to separate workers (use exec() or a dedicated job queue) e.g. mails, caching tasks, database inserts etc.)
• Use a reverse proxy cache (varnish) for serving static content.
• use Edge Side Includes for partially cache-able templates.
• Code your javascript asynchronously.
• Flush content early in the same HTTP request.
• Move logic to the shutdown handler.

links

Perfplanet.com

proflingphpapplications.mp4 from fosdem 2015