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PHP 5.5: Zend Optimiser+ OPcache vs XCache
PHP 5.5 has a new feature: built-in opcode cache! It's an alternative for extensions like XCache, APC or eAccelerator. Let's see how it performs compared to established solutions.Test environment...
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Zend opcode cacher in PHP 5.5: a security perspective
The new zend opcache extension built into the latest version of PHP is, as we've checked, a bit faster than the current best - XCache. There's, however, a security concern. Both extensions make it...
View ArticleNextend modules for Joomla behind Varnish Cache
Nextend makes pretty and well-written modules for Joomla and Wordpress. I've optimized a website which uses one of them and it had a weird issue: sometimes the module would appear unstyled and CSS/JS...
View ArticleThread creation error in Varnish
Today I installed Varnish on a pretty standard system (CentOS + WHM) and the service wouldn't start. The system log (/var/log/messages) contained the following:Oct 7 04:15:46 server varnishd[20836]:...
View ArticleNew software available: HTML5 prerender support for Joomla! CMS
Massive Scale is proud to announce its new software: HTML5 Prefetch/Prerender for Joomla!. It makes use of prerendering capabilities of web browsers like Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer 11 using...
View ArticleAlternatives to mod_rpaf
For years, mod_rpaf has been the standard module for running Apache behind a reverse proxy. Fortunately, it's not the only one and there are alternatives.mod_extract_forwarded which is available in...
View ArticleMake Joomla's Nextend Menu faster
If you're using Nextend's Accordion Menu for Joomla, there's a good chance it's slowing you down. Adding this simple patch to make it use cache cut down average loading time by 900 ms on a Joomla 2.5...
View ArticleVarnish-Joomla package 1.3.0 released, with cache purging
The new Varnish-Joomla package 1.3.0 is now available. New features include:Purging cache when saving articlesSupport for more Joomla! extensions and static file typesImproved cache hit rate because of...
View ArticleVarnish for Joomla! 3.2 on its way
Varnish for Joomla 3.2 will be released next week. The plan was to release it this week, but Joomla 3.2 increased its dependence on sessions and the patch can not operate the same way it did before.In...
View ArticleVarnish-Joomla Pack 1.3.1 with Joomla 3.2 support is out
New features:Support for Joomla! 3.2Support for HikaShopJoomla! 3.2 support has been tested with core components and the following extensions:JomSocialAkeeba BackupAdmin ToolsKunena ForumCommunity...
View ArticleJoomla 1.0 spam
This news comes from our secure Joomla 1.0 hosting department. Recently some of our Joomla 1.0 sites became sources of spam. Apparently somebody (with a narrow range of IP addresses geolocating to...
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Speed your HikaShop with Varnish
HikaShop is an e-commerce solution for Joomla. They have a pretty usable free edition, and reasonably priced commercial editions with support.We worked together with the Hikari team to make our...
View Articlee503 no service
Pound is a popular load balancer / SSL terminator. As it usually happens with open source programs, there is plenty of documentation and self-help available on the internet, but there's one error...
View ArticleThe future of Varnish-Joomla
We got a lot of questions recently about the Varnish-Joomla package and support for future Joomla versions. Of course the package is going to be still developed in foreseeable future, and Joomla 3.5...
View ArticleVarnish for Joomla! 3.3
The Varnish-Joomla pack has been upgraded to support Joomla! 3.3 which has been released last week. Existing clients are eligible for a free upgrade after contacting us.Originally we planned this...
View ArticleVarnish 4 support and benchmark
A Varnish4-ready configuration file for the Varnish-Joomla pack is now ready. We also made a little benchmark. TLDR: there are no significant differences between Varnish 3 and Varnish 4. The Varnish...
View ArticleVividCortex review
EDIT: Baron Schwartz kindly asked me to remove this blog post. I'm not going to do this, but I agree it was too harsh, it's my fault I didn't read the terms of service I was going to review.Back story:...
View ArticlePatch for 3.3.1
Joomla! 3.3.1 changed some of the patched code, so the patches from 3.3.0 won't work with 3.3.1. Existing users need to ask for the new version (for free, as usually).
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How not to check if Varnish is working.
Our new Varnish clients who choose to install everything themselves want a way to verify if it's working - and often fall in the same trap: they use the isvarnishworking.com website which has good SEO...
View ArticleVarnish for Joomla! 3.4
The latest Varnish Cache package for Joomla! v1.3.5 is available. Now you can accelerate Joomla CMS version 3.4.Existing clients can contact us to get the new version for free.If you're running a high...
View ArticleUpgrade your Varnish!
Surprisingly, Varnish Software announced that they will not update Varnish 3.0 and that users need to upgrade to 4.0 as soon as possible. This is not an expected decision, it has been stated more than...
View ArticleApache mod_status page mangled by mod_rewrite?
Quicktip: if a complicated mod_rewrite setup is making your /server-status inaccessible, just paste the following two lines above all the rewrite rules:RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI}...
View ArticleVarnish for Joomla maintenance release
It seems that with Joomla! 3.4.3, our patch for Varnish support could not be applied, so we made a maintenance release - as usually, available for free for the existing clients. There are no new...
View ArticleThe first performance issue I've fixed
The first performance problem I've found and fixed in code written by someone else was in Gadu-Gadu. GG was an Windows instant messenger very popular in Poland in the early 2000s. It was closed,...
View ArticleDropping the botnet
Google Analytics sent me an email earlier today about changes in their data retention policy:Today we introduced granular data retention controls that allow you to manage how long your user and event...
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