Performance Optimization

Introduction

Fluent Community is built for performance and normally doesn't require extra configuration. However, for sites with many plugins or high traffic, these advanced optimization techniques can significantly improve performance.

TIP

We highly recommend using Redis Object Caching (the free version works perfectly). This alone can provide a 2-3x performance improvement.

REST API Performance Tuning

The Problem

If you're using Fluent Community with many heavy plugins, other plugins may slow down REST API responses even when they're not needed. WordPress loads all active plugins for every request, including REST API calls, which can cause unnecessary database queries and processing.

The Solution

You can explicitly control which plugins load during Fluent Community REST API requests. This reduces server load and speeds up API responses significantly.

Advanced Feature

This is an advanced feature and should only be used by developers who understand the implications. Test thoroughly before deploying to production.

MU Plugin for REST API Optimization

How It Works

This MU plugin checks if the request is a Fluent Community REST API call and loads only the required plugins, offloading the rest.

Implementation Steps

Step 1: Create MU Plugin File

Create a file at: /wp-content/mu-plugins/fluent-api-performance-tuning.php

Step 2: Add the Code

php

<?php defined('ABSPATH') || exit;
/**
 * Plugin Name: FluentCommunity Express REST API
 * Description: An MU Plugin for FluentCommunity to load only required plugins for REST API requests. Increases REST API performance significantly when many plugins are installed.
 * Version: 1.0
 * Author: Fluent Community Team
 * Author URI: https://fluentcommunity.co
 * Plugin URI: https://github.com/WPManageNinja/fluent-community-docs
 */

add_filter('option_active_plugins', function ($plugins) {
    $requestUrl = isset($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']) ? $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] : '';
    
    // Only filter plugins for Fluent Community REST API requests
    if (strpos($requestUrl, 'wp-json/fluent-community/v2') === false) {
        return $plugins;
    }

    // Define plugins to load (when available)
    $pluginsToLoad = [
        'fluent-community/fluent-community.php',           // Fluent Community (required)
        'fluent-community-pro/fluent-community-pro.php',   // Fluent Community Pro
        'fluent-smtp/fluent-smtp.php',                     // FluentSMTP (for emails)
        'fluent-crm/fluent-crm.php',                       // FluentCRM Integration
        'fluentcampaign-pro/fluentcampaign-pro.php',       // FluentCRM Pro
        'easy-code-manager/easy-code-manager.php',         // Fluent Snippets
        'fluent-messaging/fluent-messaging.php',           // Fluent Chat
        // Add more plugins here as needed
    ];

    // Only load plugins that are in both arrays
    $plugins = array_intersect($plugins, $pluginsToLoad);
    $plugins = array_values($plugins);

    return $plugins;
});

Step 3: Test Your Community

Visit your Fluent Community portal and test all features to ensure everything works correctly.

Customizing Plugin Loading

Adding More Plugins

If you need additional plugins for your community, add them to the $pluginsToLoad array:

php

$pluginsToLoad = [
    'fluent-community/fluent-community.php',
    'fluent-community-pro/fluent-community-pro.php',
    
    // Your custom plugins
    'your-custom-plugin/your-custom-plugin.php',
    'another-plugin/another-plugin.php',
];

Common Plugins to Include

Email Plugins:

php

'fluent-smtp/fluent-smtp.php',           // FluentSMTP
'wp-mail-smtp/wp_mail_smtp.php',         // WP Mail SMTP

CRM/Marketing:

php

'fluent-crm/fluent-crm.php',             // FluentCRM
'fluentcampaign-pro/fluentcampaign-pro.php',  // FluentCRM Pro

Utilities:

php

'easy-code-manager/easy-code-manager.php',    // Fluent Snippets
'query-monitor/query-monitor.php',            // Query Monitor (for debugging)

Integration Plugins:

php

'fluent-messaging/fluent-messaging.php',      // Fluent Chat
'your-integration/your-integration.php',      // Your custom integration

Performance Impact

Before Optimization

With 20+ plugins active:

REST API response time: 800-1200ms
Database queries: 150-200 per request
Memory usage: 80-120MB per request

After Optimization

With only required plugins:

REST API response time: 200-400ms (50-70% faster)
Database queries: 30-50 per request (70-80% reduction)
Memory usage: 30-50MB per request (60% reduction)

Important Notes

Testing Required

Always test thoroughly after implementing this optimization. Some plugins may be required for specific features in your community.

When to Use This Optimization

✅ Use when:

You have 15+ plugins installed
REST API responses are slow (>500ms)
You have high server load
You understand which plugins are required

❌ Don't use when:

You have fewer than 10 plugins
You're not experiencing performance issues
You don't understand plugin dependencies
You can't test thoroughly

Must-Have Plugins

Always include these in $pluginsToLoad:

fluent-community/fluent-community.php - Core plugin (required)
fluent-community-pro/fluent-community-pro.php - Pro features (if installed)
Your email plugin - For sending notifications
Your caching plugin - For object caching (if using plugin-based caching)

Plugins to Exclude

These plugins typically don't need to load for REST API requests:

Page builders (Elementor, Divi, etc.)
SEO plugins (Yoast, RankMath, etc.)
Form builders (unless integrated with community)
E-commerce plugins (unless integrated)
Analytics plugins
Security plugins (some exceptions apply)

Monitoring Performance

Using Query Monitor

Install Query Monitor to analyze performance:

php

// Add to $pluginsToLoad for debugging
'query-monitor/query-monitor.php',

What to Monitor:

Database query count
Query execution time
Memory usage
HTTP API calls
Hooks and actions fired

Browser DevTools

Use Chrome DevTools Network tab to monitor:

REST API response times
Payload sizes
Number of requests
Waterfall timing

Redis Object Cache Configuration

Installation

Install Redis Object Cache Plugin:

bash

# Via WP-CLI
wp plugin install redis-cache --activate

# Enable Redis
wp redis enable

Manual Configuration (wp-config.php):

php

// Redis configuration
define('WP_REDIS_HOST', '127.0.0.1');
define('WP_REDIS_PORT', 6379);
define('WP_REDIS_TIMEOUT', 1);
define('WP_REDIS_READ_TIMEOUT', 1);
define('WP_REDIS_DATABASE', 0);

// Optional: Redis password
// define('WP_REDIS_PASSWORD', 'your-password');

// Optional: Redis prefix
define('WP_REDIS_PREFIX', 'fcom_');

Verify Redis is Working

bash

# Check Redis connection
wp redis status

# View Redis info
wp redis info

Database Optimization

Regular Maintenance

Optimize Tables:

sql

-- Optimize Fluent Community tables
OPTIMIZE TABLE fcom_feeds;
OPTIMIZE TABLE fcom_comments;
OPTIMIZE TABLE fcom_reactions;
OPTIMIZE TABLE fcom_xprofile;
OPTIMIZE TABLE fcom_space_user_pivot;

Check Table Status:

sql

-- Check table sizes
SELECT 
    table_name AS 'Table',
    ROUND(((data_length + index_length) / 1024 / 1024), 2) AS 'Size (MB)'
FROM information_schema.TABLES
WHERE table_schema = 'your_database_name'
    AND table_name LIKE 'fcom_%'
ORDER BY (data_length + index_length) DESC;

Additional Optimizations

PHP Configuration

Recommended php.ini settings:

ini

memory_limit = 256M
max_execution_time = 300
max_input_time = 300
post_max_size = 64M
upload_max_filesize = 64M

; OPcache settings
opcache.enable = 1
opcache.memory_consumption = 256
opcache.interned_strings_buffer = 16
opcache.max_accelerated_files = 10000
opcache.revalidate_freq = 60

Nginx Configuration

Enable Gzip compression:

nginx

gzip on;
gzip_vary on;
gzip_min_length 1024;
gzip_types text/plain text/css text/xml text/javascript application/x-javascript application/xml+rss application/json;

Enable FastCGI caching (for logged-out users):

nginx

fastcgi_cache_path /var/cache/nginx levels=1:2 keys_zone=WORDPRESS:100m inactive=60m;
fastcgi_cache_key "$scheme$request_method$host$request_uri";

Performance Testing Tools

Recommended Tools

Query Monitor - WordPress plugin for debugging
Chrome DevTools - Network and performance analysis
GTmetrix - Page speed testing
Pingdom - Website monitoring
New Relic - Application performance monitoring

Server Requirements - Recommended server configuration
Benchmarks - Real-world performance data
Database Schema - Understanding the database structure

Performance Optimization ​ ​

Introduction ​ ​

REST API Performance Tuning ​ ​

The Problem ​ ​

The Solution ​ ​

MU Plugin for REST API Optimization ​ ​

How It Works ​ ​

Implementation Steps ​ ​

Customizing Plugin Loading ​ ​

Adding More Plugins ​ ​

Common Plugins to Include ​ ​

Performance Impact ​ ​

Before Optimization ​ ​

After Optimization ​ ​

Important Notes ​ ​

When to Use This Optimization ​ ​

Must-Have Plugins ​ ​

Plugins to Exclude ​ ​

Monitoring Performance ​ ​

Using Query Monitor ​ ​

Browser DevTools ​ ​

Redis Object Cache Configuration ​ ​

Installation ​ ​

Verify Redis is Working ​ ​

Database Optimization ​ ​

Regular Maintenance ​ ​

Additional Optimizations ​ ​

PHP Configuration ​ ​

Nginx Configuration ​ ​

Performance Testing Tools ​ ​

Recommended Tools ​ ​

Related Documentation ​ ​