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What role hosting, PHP and the cache play

Your website runs at a host, on a PHP version and behind several caches.You choose the host, we keep the foun­da­tion current.

Your website in cross-section from visitor to server
Caches serve ready-made copies
Browser
on your visitors’ devices
Edge network (CDN)
if you use one
Website cache
ready pages on the server
In our hands kept up to date
WordPress
with theme and plugins
PHP version
supported
Your choice
Host
Server, database, own cache
Each layer can slow the website down or hide a change for a while.
  • PHP versionWhen we switch the PHP version
  • CacheWhy a change gets stuck in the cache
  • Changing hostsChanging hosts and outages

What the host handles and what we take on

The host provides the server, PHP runs WordPress, the cache speeds up delivery.We take care of PHP and cache as part of main­te­nance.

Provided by the host Your choice
  • Server, storage, data­base
  • The PHP versions to choose from
  • Certificate for the encrypted connec­tion
  • Often the mailboxes as well
  • Its own cache in front of the website
We do not offer hosting ourselves.
Handled by us Part of main­te­nance
  • Check plugins before a PHP switch
  • Switch in staging, live with a backup first
  • No later than six months after end of support
  • Clear all cache layers after every change
  • Exclude cart and checkout from the cache
If the host slows things down, we say so and name an alter­na­tive.
A plugin slows things down
We step in; this is covered by the flat fee.
The website is slowThe whole website is slow
A project: discussed first, fixed-price quote. Development

What goes wrong in practice

Three cases, each with its consequence and the rule that came out of it.None involves Word­Press itself.

Layer: cache

Theme update tested, cache not cleared

The developer saw a flawless page because his browser already had the new version. The customer saw a broken layout.

Since then: clear cache layers, check in a private window
Layer: host

No notice during a host outage

There was nothing for us to fix. The customer learned of the outage late, and only by asking.

Since then: first the notice, then updates at fixed inter­vals
Layer: database

Database move without checking the character set

All umlauts broken, a day of repairs. Fixable only because the backup at the old host still existed.

Since then: check the character set, also back up the database by hand

Cases from our own work, treated confi­den­tially.

How a host change works and what happens during an outage

Changing hosts is a project with a fixed process and a way back. If the host goes down, you hear from us first.

1Preparation Mon and Tue
  • Copy at the new host
  • Pages, forms, checkout, login
  • Address record (DNS) prepared
2Switchover Wed, June 18
  • Address points to the new server
  • Way back stays open
  • Certificate set up and checked
3Follow-up Thu to early July
  • Forms and mail­boxes checked
  • Reachable for search engines
  • Old host runs two more weeks
Host outage: our process 24-hour monitoring
  • Confirm the outage, false alarms happen
  • Check the host’s status page
  • Open a ticket with the host
  • Inform you, then at fixed inter­vals
  • Then check home page, forms, login
Three principles during an outage
  • No move during an outage
    That usually does more damage than the outage itself.
  • Backups independent of the host
    If the website comes back damaged, we restore a backup.
  • No separate notice for brief glitches
    Provided they resolve on their own.
Backups in five places, three months back.
Backups and recovery in detail

Questions customers ask about hosting

Do we have to switch to a particular host?

No.

We work with your host, and our backups run inde­pen­dently of it. If it slows the website down, we name an alternative from our own expe­ri­ence. The contract and the decision stay with you.

How long is the website offline during a move?

Normally not at all.

Until the new address record has reached everywhere, the old server keeps serving the site. To be safe, we allow up to 48 hours for the switchover. Mailboxes at the same host are planned sepa­rately.

Why does my website not run on the very latest PHP version?

Only once the plugins can handle it.

In the first months of a new version, bugs are still being found. We switch as soon as your plugins are ready for it, no later than six months after support for the old version ends.

The website is slow. Is it the host?

Sometimes, often not.

More often it is large images, a heavy plugin or a badly config­ured cache. We measure first. A single bottleneck is covered by the flat fee; the whole website is a project with a fixed-price quote.

Ready for dependable care?

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