We optimize VPS: Memched, Redis, Ngnix, Varnish

If you want your virtual server VPS worked faster and consumed significantly fewer resources, and also had a stable uptime, then optimizing server resources is a must. Whatever server you take, it will always fall before numerous requests or to the database, or under endless filters and long requests to the database. 

Many processes can be accelerated using various caching and load balancing technologies. Let's look at several popular tools that help save resources and improve performance.

1. Memcached

Memcached is an in-memory caching system that helps speed up access to data stored in a database by temporarily storing it in RAM. When a VPS needs to retrieve data, instead of constantly accessing the database, looking for the right row in the right table, loading the database server, it first checks the Memcached cache, which stores the data in a static form. If the data is already there, the VPS returns it immediately, without unnecessary load on the database server.

What do we gain?

• Significantly speeds up the performance of web applications or websites.
• Reduces the number of database queries, which reduces the load on the virtual server.
• Saves resources because memory access is much faster than disk access.

Saving resources: Memcached can reduce the load on the database and reduce the response time of the application. This leads to savings in computing resources and memory. If you configure caching correctly, you can significantly reduce the load on the processor and RAM.

2. Redis

Redis is another caching solution, but with additional capabilities. Unlike Memcached, Redis supports more complex data structures such as lists, sets, hashes, and others. It can also be used not only for caching, but also for managing task queues and storing temporary data.

What is it useful for?

• Redis works with more complex data structures, making it ideal for storing sessions and user data.
• It allows you to effectively manage task queues by distributing the load between multiple servers (Apache and Nginx).

Saving resources: Redis not only speeds up data access, but also reduces the load on servers by distributing data more efficiently and storing it in RAM. Applications using Redis can run faster while consuming fewer resources, which is important for VPS where resources are limited.

Redis works in a clear memory range that you have allocated to it, each product, be it an application or a website, can use its own storage to store cached data.

3. Nginx

Nginx is a web server and reverse proxy server that is used for load balancing, most often for caching static files: images, files for downloading. Nginx is often used to handle a large number of simultaneous connections, which significantly reduces the load on the server and increases its performance. Nginx can work as a server, but most often it is used as an unloader for the Apache server, in conjunction with Apache, the work will be most effective.

How it helps:

• Handles a huge number of simultaneous requests with minimal server load.
• Can be used to cache static files such as images, CSS and JavaScript, which reduces page load times.
• Works as a load balancer, which allows you to distribute requests between itself and Apache servers.

Saving resources: Using Nginx allows you to significantly reduce the load on the server due to effective traffic distribution and caching. This allows servers to serve more requests with less resource consumption. This is especially important if your site or application has a high load.

4. Varnish

Varnish is a high-performance HTTP accelerator used to cache web pages. It is ideal for sites with a lot of static content, such as news portals, online stores, and blogs. Varnish also allows you to manage the cache of other applications, and if there is a need to clear the cache, you can do it in one fell swoop, rather than clearing the cache of each program.

What is the benefit?

• Caches web pages, which reduces the number of requests to the main server.
• Works at the HTTP level, making it very fast and efficient for dynamic sites.

Saving resources: By using Varnish, you can reduce the load on your web server and speed up response time. Since frequently requested pages will be cached in memory, this results in savings on CPU and memory on the server.

5. Other tools and technologies

In addition to Memcached, Redis, Nginx and Varnish, there are other tools to optimize VPS performance. For example:

• OPcache - caching of compiled PHP scripts, which speeds up the operation of PHP applications.
• PHP-FPM — improves the processing of PHP requests, reducing the load on the server and speeding up code execution.

Saving resources: Each of these tools helps to significantly improve the performance of your VPS by speeding up response time and reducing server load. All of these technologies help to save resources such as CPU time, RAM, and disk space, allowing your VPS to run more efficiently.

Impact on the server and resource savings

In combination, the use of technologies such as Memcached, Redis, Nginx, Varnish allows not only to speed up the work of web applications and sites, but also to save VPS resources. This is especially important if you have a limited budget and need to use the available resources efficiently.

What results can be expected as a result of such VPS optimization:

• Reduce the load on the processor and RAM.
• Reduce the number of database requests and speed up query processing.
• Save on the need to scale servers, as performance can be improved through optimization.
• Improved response time and website loading speed, which in turn has a positive impact on SEO and user experience.

Properly configuring and using caching technologies can not only improve the performance of your VPS, but also save resources that can be used more efficiently.