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Subject: Re: Fast by default
From: Sander Temme <sctemme@apache.org>
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Date: Tue, 1 Jun 2010 21:33:50 -0700
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To: dev@httpd.apache.org

All,=20

I was once offered money to provide a high-performance Apache =
configuration file for a website.  When I pointed out that I would need =
to come in, analyze their app and its performance, and then iteratively =
tune the config accordingly, I was given to understand that this was not =
necessary.  Just send us the config, please.  They were highly miffed =
when I didn't lay that particular flavor of golden egg for them.  I =
actually got fired from that gig. =20

On Jun 1, 2010, at 5:50 AM, Pl=FCm, R=FCdiger, VF-Group wrote:

> And others have argued well to leave it off by default. My personal =
opinion is that we should leave it disabled by default for the reasons =
(CPU, Proxies, Browser behaviour, ETAG problem) mentioned by others.

I thought it isn't in the default build because it requires an external =
library that may not be on the system.  If this is not of concern, we =
might as well turn it on in the default build.  Same for mod_ssl. =20

Generally, I think we see the build and runtime configuration as a =
starting point from which to create your own environment, not a =
canonical default that is right for all (or even most) users. =20

Distributors (Red Hat et. al.) should (and do) build httpd according to =
the capabilities of their environment.  If that environment includes =
libz and openssl, no reason why packagers shouldn't build those modules. =
 Including those features is good for their customers.=20

As others have pointed out, a lot of performance tuning is highly site =
and situation specific.  Once again the default configuration file =
cannot be expected to cover all possible situations.  Deflate, caching, =
load balancing, proxying, content segregation, etc. can only be =
optimally configured only in the context of the individual deployment. =20=


If there were a silver bullet to making the web server "fast", don't you =
think we would have fired it some time in the past 15 years?  There is =
no such thing.  The only way to get a handle on it is to read the books, =
figure it out, or hire a consultant.  But don't expect him to lay any =
golden performance eggs.=20

S.

--=20
Sander Temme
sctemme@apache.org
PGP FP: 51B4 8727 466A 0BC3 69F4  B7B8 B2BE BC40 1529 24AF