Performance Profiling Tools
- Performance Profiling Tools
This article details the various tools available for performance profiling of a MediaWiki 1.40 installation. Understanding how to use these tools is crucial for identifying bottlenecks and optimizing your wiki for speed and scalability. This guide is aimed at system administrators and developers responsible for maintaining a MediaWiki instance.
Introduction
Performance profiling is the process of analyzing the execution of a program to identify areas where performance can be improved. For a complex application like MediaWiki, this can involve examining PHP code, database queries, caching mechanisms, and server resources. Several tools can assist in this process, ranging from built-in PHP extensions to dedicated profiling applications.
PHP Profiling Tools
PHP provides several extensions and techniques for profiling code execution. These tools help pinpoint slow-running functions, excessive memory usage, and other performance issues within the PHP layer.
Xdebug
Xdebug is a powerful PHP extension that provides a wide range of debugging and profiling capabilities. It can generate call graphs, cachegrind files, and other data formats suitable for analysis with dedicated profiling tools.
To enable Xdebug profiling, you typically configure it in your `php.ini` file. A basic configuration might look like this:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| `xdebug.mode` | `profile` |
| `xdebug.output_dir` | `/tmp` |
| `xdebug.profiler_enable_trigger` | `POST` |
This configuration enables profiling when a POST request containing the `XDEBUG_PROFILE` parameter is received. You can trigger it through your web browser or via `curl` commands. The resulting profile data will be stored in `/tmp`.
Blackfire.io
Blackfire.io is a commercial PHP profiling tool that provides a web-based interface for analyzing performance data. It integrates seamlessly with MediaWiki and offers features such as call graphs, flame graphs, and performance metrics. It requires installing the Blackfire PHP extension and configuring it to send data to your Blackfire account. Blackfire excels at identifying database query issues.
Tideways
Tideways is another commercial PHP profiling solution, offering similar features to Blackfire.io. It provides a detailed view of PHP execution, including call graphs, memory usage, and database queries. Tideways is known for its ease of use and integration with various PHP frameworks.
Database Profiling Tools
The database is often a major bottleneck in MediaWiki performance. Profiling database queries is essential for identifying slow queries and optimizing database schema and indexes.
MySQL Slow Query Log
For MediaWiki installations using MySQL, the slow query log is an invaluable tool. It logs all queries that take longer than a specified threshold to execute. Configuring this requires modifying your MySQL configuration file (my.cnf or my.ini).
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| `long_query_time` | `2` (seconds) |
| `slow_query_log` | `1` (enable logging) |
| `slow_query_log_file` | `/var/log/mysql/mysql-slow.log` |
Analyzing the slow query log can reveal poorly optimized queries, missing indexes, or other database issues. Tools like `mysqldumpslow` can help summarize the log data. Reviewing and optimizing these queries is critical.
MariaDB Performance Schema
MariaDB offers a Performance Schema which provides detailed information about database server performance, including query execution times, lock contention, and I/O statistics. This is a more advanced method than the slow query log.
Explain Statements
Using `EXPLAIN` before a `SELECT` statement in MySQL or MariaDB is a quick and easy way to understand how the database is executing a query. It shows the query plan, including the indexes used, the order of table access, and the number of rows examined. This is a useful first step when troubleshooting slow queries. See the Database administration page for more details.
Server Resource Monitoring Tools
Monitoring server resources, such as CPU usage, memory usage, and disk I/O, can help identify overall system bottlenecks.
Top/Htop
Top and Htop are command-line tools that display real-time system resource usage. They can help identify processes that are consuming excessive CPU or memory. Htop offers a more visually appealing and interactive interface than Top.
Iostat
Iostat is a command-line tool that reports disk I/O statistics. It can help identify disk bottlenecks that may be affecting MediaWiki performance.
Grafana & Prometheus
Grafana and Prometheus are powerful open-source monitoring and alerting tools. They can collect and visualize metrics from various sources, including your MediaWiki server. This allows for long-term performance tracking and proactive identification of issues. Setting up these tools requires a dedicated server and configuration, but they offer extensive capabilities.
Conclusion
Performance profiling is an ongoing process. Regularly monitoring your MediaWiki instance and using the tools described in this article can help ensure optimal performance and a positive user experience. Remember to test any changes in a staging environment before deploying them to production. Further resources are available on the Performance page and the Scalability page. Don’t forget to consult the Configuration page for basic setup details. Finally, the Advanced configuration page is a good resource for experts.
Intel-Based Server Configurations
| Configuration | Specifications | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Core i7-6700K/7700 Server | 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 512 GB | CPU Benchmark: 8046 |
| Core i7-8700 Server | 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2x1 TB | CPU Benchmark: 13124 |
| Core i9-9900K Server | 128 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 1 TB | CPU Benchmark: 49969 |
| Core i9-13900 Server (64GB) | 64 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i9-13900 Server (128GB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i5-13500 Server (64GB) | 64 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i5-13500 Server (128GB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i5-13500 Workstation | 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2 NVMe SSD, NVIDIA RTX 4000 |
AMD-Based Server Configurations
| Configuration | Specifications | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 5 3600 Server | 64 GB RAM, 2x480 GB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 17849 |
| Ryzen 7 7700 Server | 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2x1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 35224 |
| Ryzen 9 5950X Server | 128 GB RAM, 2x4 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 46045 |
| Ryzen 9 7950X Server | 128 GB DDR5 ECC, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 63561 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/1TB) | 128 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/2TB) | 128 GB RAM, 2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/4TB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/1TB) | 256 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/4TB) | 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 9454P Server | 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe |
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⚠️ *Note: All benchmark scores are approximate and may vary based on configuration. Server availability subject to stock.* ⚠️