Linux benchmark scripts and tools

This list of Linux benchmark scripts and tools should prove helpful for quick performance checks of CPU, storage, memory, and network on Linux servers and VPS. Check each script before running from the command line. Most of these scripts will benchmark the CPU, memory, storage, and network. In most cases, the CPU Model, frequency, and […]

Your Web Host Doesn’t Want You To Read This: Benchmark Your VPS

Aug 13th, 2023: added Yet-another-bench-script benchmarking tool. Sept 27th, 2021: Added link to a great list of command-line benckmark scripts. June 17th, 2019: Added instructions for network speed test using speedtest-cli script. Nov 2nd, 2016: Included quick dd commands to check cached vs. uncached read performance. This article will highlight using the ‘dd’ Unix command […]

Memcache PHP Extensions for Memcached Caching Daemon

Memcached (Memcache Daemon) is a caching daemon designed especially for dynamic web applications to decrease database load by storing objects in memory. It is commonly used to speed up dynamic database-driven websites by caching data and objects in server memory to reduce the number of times the data source must be read. Memcached is free […]

iotop command in Linux w/ examples.

This iotop command guide follows my previous 90 Linux Commands frequently used by Linux Sysadmins article. As time allows, I will continue to publish articles on the 90+ commands geared toward Linux sysadmins and Linux power users. Let’s continue this series with the iotop command. iotop is a simple top-like I/O monitor. A terminal program […]

PHP-FPM tuning: Using ‘pm static’ for max performance

Let’s take a very quick look at how best to set up PHP-FPM for high throughput, low latency, and more stable CPU and memory use. By default, most setups have PHP-FPM’s PM (process manager) string set to dynamic and there’s also the common advice to use ondemand if you suffer from available memory issues. However, let’s […]

Increase Performance and lifespan of SSDs & SD Cards

SSDs (solid-state drives) and SD (Secure Digital) cards have a limited number of writes before they wear out. To get the most out of this storage type, let’s investigate, then make a few adjustments to maximize the life of your SSDs and SD cards. This article has been refreshed from 6 years ago.   Using iotop […]

100 Top Observability Tools (+ Server Monitoring and APM solutions)

Looking for application monitoring and observability solutions? On this page, I’ve listed the top application performance monitoring (APM), infrastructure monitoring, and observability solutions to date. The listings are updated periodically as APM and observability solutions continue a rapid evolution. While I haven’t tested all of these solutions, I’ve used more than a third of them. […]

Free Linux Server Monitoring and APM solutions for SysAdmins

Today’s software applications require developers, testers, and SysAdmins to work together (DevSecOps) more seamlessly than ever before. A single line of code or poorly configured service can negatively impact your application’s performance, causing crippling slowdowns for end-users. This is where infrastructure and application monitoring comes in. Regarding Linux server monitoring, monitoring critical performance metrics of […]

Observability: 15 Industry-Leading Companies Discuss its Evolution

In this article, you’ll find recent commentary from executives and decision-makers of industry-leading observability providers on two key questions regarding the evolution of observability. Published: May 17th, 2021 | Updated: May 6th, 2022 The observability cloud continues to expand and evolve rapidly. Over the past year, millions of workers left their offices to work from […]

Observability, Getting Started – 50 Free Access and Open-Source Solutions

This article examines APM and observability solutions and tools. I’ve also included several quotes collected from observability companies who offer easy access to their platforms and composed a list below of noteworthy observability solutions. I encourage observability providers to extend free and open access to their platforms and software, beyond free trials and without requiring […]

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