Optimizing Nginx and PHP-FPM for performance and resource usage can significantly improve the speed and efficiency of your web server. Here are some best practices to follow:
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Configure Nginx and PHP-FPM to use proper worker processes and threads:
- Determine the optimal number of worker processes based on your server's CPU cores and available memory.
- Utilize Nginx's event-driven, non-blocking architecture by setting the worker_connections directive to a high value (e.g., 1024).
- Configure PHP-FPM's pm.max_children directive based on available memory and anticipated traffic.
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Reduce unnecessary disk I/O:
- Enable Nginx's fastcgi_cache or proxy_cache to cache static and dynamic content.
- Implement opcode caching with a tool like OPcache or APCu to avoid the need for frequent PHP script parsing.
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Fine-tune PHP-FPM's process manager settings:
- Adjust the pm settings (e.g., pm.max_children, pm.start_servers, pm.min_spare_servers, pm.max_spare_servers) to avoid resource starvation or excess resource usage.
- Set pm.max_requests to limit the number of requests handled by a single PHP-FPM process, preventing memory leaks and excessive usage.
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Optimize Nginx and PHP-FPM configuration directives:
- Review and modify the settings like client_max_body_size, keepalive_timeout, gzip, and buffer sizes to align with your server's hardware capabilities and specific needs.
- Disable unnecessary Nginx modules and PHP extensions that are not required for your application.
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Enable compression and caching:
- Enable gzip compression in Nginx to reduce the size of data transferred over the network.
- Leverage browser caching using Nginx's expires directive for static content or implement a content delivery network (CDN) for faster content delivery.
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Monitor and fine-tune:
- Continuously monitor server performance using tools like Nginx Amplify, New Relic, or open-source solutions like Munin or Zabbix.
- Analyze server logs, error logs, and access logs to identify potential bottlenecks or misconfigurations.
Remember to benchmark and test your configuration changes to ensure they provide the desired performance improvements.