How to Store the WordPress Memory for Each PHP Process

WordPress is one of the most popular Open Source platforms for creating websites, blogs, and social media channels. Being Open Source, it is very accessible to anyone who wants to build a site, but still wants control over the design and functionality. It also provides a large number of free themes and plugins that can be used to build your own website with a desired look and feel.

While WordPress is a powerful platform, it can be a challenge to properly configure it to work efficiently and securely. One of the most common issues that people encounter is that of speed. When running large websites built on WordPress, you will often notice that the loading time is significantly higher than that of a similarly sized site built on a static platform. This is because WordPress cannot perform optimally when more than a few processes are running at the same time. If you are using PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor), you may have also encountered crashes and issues that occur when more than a certain limit of processes are running at once.

Fortunately, there is a fairly easy solution to this issue. The good news is that you can use the built-in functions of PHP to safely store the large amount of data that is needed by WordPress in a way that accommodates numerous concurrent connections. This article will walk you through the various steps necessary to take advantage of this functionality.

Use the Memory Manager To Its Full Potential

The first step in storing the wordpress memory safely is to make sure that you are using the memory manager to its full potential. The Memory Manager is a piece of software that sits between PHP and the MySQL database, and monitors and manages the amount of available memory that PHP can use. When PHP needs to store or retrieve large amounts of data, it will first check with the Memory Manager to see if there is enough available memory, and if not, it will store the data on the hard drive instead. This helps PHP to work more efficiently by reducing the number of times that it needs to access the hard drive, and potentially reduces the load on the server as well.

The best way to use the Memory Manager is by having it monitor the incoming bandwidth from the network as well. This ensures that your server can handle whatever the client is capable of sending to it, and will not be constantly overloaded. While we can debate the merits of using more versatile hardware such as a cloud server, the essential point is that having a stable, powerful server is far better than having a low-end PC that can only handle a relatively small amount of traffic.

Even if you do not have the Money or resources to purchase a dedicated server, you can still take advantage of this functionality by using a VPS (Virtual Private Server). A VPS hosts the WordPress site you are viewing on a dedicated server, and connects you to it via a private IP address.

Disable PHP’s Open_Basedir Setting

PHP’s open_basedir setting controls the location of the PHP installation on your server. This is used to configure where PHP can look for files that are needed to execute its functions. If your server is hosed down, you will most likely encounter PHP crashes. These occur when PHP is unable to locate a file that it needs to execute, and so halts the execution. When this is the case, you should set open_basedir to a permanent value, as instructed by WordPress.

By default, PHP’s open_basedir is set to a temporary value of “C:\wamps\tmp”, which is the location of the Windows directory on your computer. This is necessary, as it allows PHP to reference files that are located in the same directory that it is installed in. However, this setting should be changed to “C:\wamps\www”, which is the root directory of your WordPress installation. Doing this ensures that you will not encounter any PHP crashes, and improves the overall performance of WordPress.

Configure MySQL To Use More Than One Process

MySQL’s max_user_connections settings controls how many connections are allowed to the MySQL databse at a time. This is done via a thread — a piece of software that allows for multiple activities or processes to occur simultaneously. When configured properly, this setting can make a significant difference in the overall performance of your WordPress installation. To learn more, see MySQL’s guide to configuring max_user_connections.

Use PHP’s Safe Mode

PHP’s safe_mode setting is used to prevent accidental registration attacks (AKA form spamming) on your site. When this setting is enabled, PHP will refuse to execute any code that is not explicitly allowed by you, the site owner. This is a fairly secure mode of operation, and makes it an ideal solution for keeping spam bots and other potential attacks at bay.

This mode of operation works by detecting attempted spam or attacks and refusing to process any codes that are not specifically permitted. While this setting provides a great deal of protection for your site, it also prevents PHP from running optimally, as it must first check with the Memory Manager to see if there is enough available memory, and if not, it will store the data on the hard drive.

Use PHP’s Safe Mode With Suhosin

To take advantage of PHP’s safe_mode, you need to integrate the Suhosin patch. Suhosin is a PHP extension that provides more comprehensive security functionality, especially when used in conjunction with safe_mode. It can protect your site by detecting if a potential attack is coming from a scared user (someone who has been banned from your site for whatever reason), or if a remote hack attempt is coming from a specific IP address. This is especially beneficial if you use WordPress as a content management platform, as it can prevent unintentional WordPress admin actions by users that have been banned from your site. If a specific IP address is known to abuse your site, you can include it in the blocklist that Suhosin uses to protect your WordPress installation. If you use WordPress as a CMS (Content Management System), you should definitely integrate this functionality into your setup.

Use Chrome’s Off-The-Record (OTR) Mode

Google’s Chrome browser offers a privacy-centric view of the web that is worth exploring. When browsing in off-the-record (OTR) mode, all traffic between your computer and the computer that is hosting the site you are viewing is anonymously recorded, and so cannot be traced back to you. This means that your personal and financial information that is being collected by the site you are visiting will not be recorded, and any transactions carried out on the site cannot be traced back to you. To learn more about Chrome’s OTR mode, see this blog post by the Google Chrome Security Team.