Optimize Your Server for WordPress

This page is part of the Beginner’s Tutorial: Learn How To Setup, Manage Your Own VPS/Cloud Server With Multiple WordPress Sites – For Beginners.

In this section, we will optimize the server for WordPress.

This is for Ubuntu 24.04 which we walked you through setting up in the Beginner’s Tutorial linked above.

This picks up at the end of the previous tutorial, so you should already be logged in to your server. Run the following commands either in Git Bash or your terminal.

Optimize Apache

cd /etc/apache2/

sudo nano apache2.conf

Scroll to end of file, and position the cursor directory under this line:

IncludeOptional sites-enabled/*.conf

Insert this:

# http2
Protocols h2 http/1.1

# events mpm
<IfModule mpm_event_module>
StartServers            5
ThreadsPerChild         25
MaxRequestWorkers       400
MinSpareThreads         200
MaxSpareThreads         400
MaxConnectionsPerChild  10000
</IfModule>

Save the file: Ctrl + o, then press Enter.

Exit the file: Ctrl + x.

Continue to do this:

sudo a2enmod http2

Don’t reload apache yet.

cd conf-available/

Create a new file:

sudo nano servername.conf

Paste this contents into the file:

ServerName localhost

Save the file: Ctrl + o, then press Enter.

Exit the file: Ctrl + x.

Continue to do this:

sudo a2enconf servername

Look for “Syntax OK”:

sudo apachectl configtest

sudo systemctl reload apache2

Optimize MariaDB

Go to your home directory:

cd

Open the MariaDB console:

sudo mysql

Check the query cache variables:

show variables like 'query_cache_%';

Make sure this one of “off”:

| query_cache_type             | OFF     |

If it’s not off, you can turn it off with this command:

SET GLOBAL query_cache_type = OFF;

Exit from the MariaDB console:

exit

Change the mariadb config file:

cd /etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/

Make a backup of the file:

sudo cp 50-server.cnf 50-server.cnf.bak

Open the file:

sudo nano 50-server.cnf

Scroll down to underneath the comment #tmpdir. Make sure that you’re in the [mysqld] section. Under this line: #tmpdir = /tmp, insert this:

# Performance Schema
performance_schema=ON
performance-schema-instrument='stage/%=ON'
performance-schema-consumer-events-stages-current=ON
performance-schema-consumer-events-stages-history=ON
performance-schema-consumer-events-stages-history-long=ON

Save the file: Ctrl + o, then press Enter.

Exit the file: Ctrl + x.

Restart the mariadb service:

sudo systemctl restart mariadb

Open the file again:

sudo nano 50-server.cnf

Scroll to underneath the Performance schema we just pasted above. Find the line:

#skip-name-resolve

…and remove the # to enable the line, so it should end up looking like this:

skip-name-resolve

Save the file: Ctrl + o, then press Enter.

Exit the file: Ctrl + x.

Restart the mariadb service:

sudo systemctl restart mariadb

Now, do it:

1. Stop the mariadb service:

   sudo systemctl stop mariadb
   

2. Open the file again to set the innodb rules:

   sudo nano 50-server.cnf
   

   Search for: innodb

   Position the cursor under the line: #innodb_buffer_pool_size = 8G

   Paste these 2 lines, but MODIFY THE VALUES IF NEEDED based on how many gigs of memory your server has:

   For a server with 2GB of memory:

   innodb_buffer_pool_size = 1600M
   innodb_log_file_size = 400M
   

   Here is an image to show what values to use for either a 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB memory server:

   

   Use this to see what innodb settings to use in the above block, depending on whether you have a 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB memory server. But don’t use “megs” when you enter the value in the file; use “M” instead.

   Save the file: Ctrl + o, then press Enter.

   Exit the file: Ctrl + x.

   Start the mariadb service:

   sudo systemctl start mariadb
   

   Optimize PHP8.1-fpm

   For Future Reference: to clear the php opcache

   Option 1: restart php-fpm in terminal or Git Bash

   Option 2: WordPress plugin “Flush Opcache”

   Option 3: If using W3TotalCache plugin, it has a setting to do this.

   Moving on to optimize PHP:

   cd /etc/php/8.1/fpm/
   

   Open the php.ini file:

   sudo nano php.ini
   

    

   To search in nano, press Ctrl + w then type the search term and press Enter. You can these use Alt + w to find the next occurrence.

   1. upload_max_filesize

   Search for: upload_max

   Set upload_max_filesize = 100M

   Note: Some developers for Elementor (The Elementor WordPress plugin) say that upload_max_filesize should be set to 512M when using Elementor.

   2. post_max_size

   Search for: post_max_

   Set post_max_size = 125M

   Note: Some developers for Elementor (The Elementor WordPress plugin) say that post_max_size should be set to 516M when using Elementor.

   3. max_input_vars

   Search for: max_input_vars to find this line:

   ;max_input_vars = 1000
   

   Uncomment the line by removing the semicolon from the beginning of the line, and change 1000 to 3000. The line should look like this:

   max_input_vars = 3000
   

   Note: The value of 3000 may need to be increased depending on special plugins or themes. Check the plugin or theme documentation.

   Note: If you will be using Elementor (the WordPress plugin) , you need to set this to 4000.

   4. memory_limit

   Just below the above line, set memory_limit = 256M

   Note: 512M is recommended if you’re using WooCommerce or WPML (the WordPress plugins).

   5. opcache.enable

   Search for: opcache to find this line:

   ;opcache.enable=1
   

   Opcache is enabled by default, but you should enable this line anyway. Remove the semicolon from the beginning of the line to enable it.

   6. opcache.memory_consumption

   Then, 2 lines down, find:

   ;opcache.memory_consumption=128
   

   Remove the semicolon to enable the line, and set it to 192 so it becomes:

   opcache.memory_consumption=192
   

   7. opcache.interned_strings_buffer

   On the next line:

   ;opcache.interned_strings_buffer=8
   

   Remove the semicolon to enable the line, and set it to 16 so it becomes:

   opcache.interned_strings_buffer=16
   

   8. opcache.max_accelerated_files

   On the next line:

   ;opcache.max_accelerated_files=10000
   

   Remove the semicolon to enable the line, and leave the number as is for now.

   Note: We will come back to this setting later.

   9. opcache.validate_timestamps

   Scroll down to:

   ;opcache.validate_timestamps=1
   

   Remove the semicolon to enable the line, then decide:

   What’s the difference between a development server and a production server?

   – A Development server as a server that is used for developing and testing websites.

   – A Production server is a server that is used to host the live website.

   For Production server, set it to 0 (zero):

   opcache.validate_timestamps=0
   

   Notes: When set to 0, you must reset the OPcache manually or restart the webserver for changes to the filesystem to take effect.

   For Development server, set it to 1 (one):

   opcache.validate_timestamps=1
   

   Notes: If set to 1, OPcache will check for updated scripts every opcache.revalidate_freq seconds.

   10. opcache.revalidate_freq

   This is how often to check script timestamps for updates, in seconds. The default is 2 seconds. 0 will result in OPcache checking for updates on every request. This configuration directive is ignored if opcache.validate_timestamps is disabled.

   We will enable this anyway:

   For ;opcache.revalidate_freq=2, remove the semicolon to enable the line.

   While developing a site, you may want to set a higher number of seconds to prevent overworking the server. For example:

   opcache.revalidate_freq=30
   

   Or, you can leave it at the default 2 seconds.

   11. ONLY IF USING ELEMENTOR:

   Do the following only if you will be using Elementor on any of your WordPress sites on this server:

   • Search for max_execution_time and set it to 400 so it becomes:

     max_execution_time = 400
     

   • Search for max_input_time and set it to 400 so it becomes:

     max_input_time = 400
     

   • Search for allow_url_fopen and set it to On so it becomes:

     allow_url_fopen = On
     

   • Search for allow_url_include and set it to On so it becomes:

     allow_url_include = On
     

   Save the file: Ctrl + o, then press Enter.

   Exit the file: Ctrl + x.

   Restart the PHP service to apply the changes:

   sudo systemctl restart php8.1-fpm
   

   Coming up next

   In the next tutorial, we will install WordPress and set up the first WordPress site on your server.