If your account was flagged/suspended for high system resource usage. This is a simple guide put together by our system administration staff to help you understand why your site may be considered "resource-intensive," and what you can do about it.
What is high system resource usage?
The term "system resources" refers to physical hardware on the server such as memory, CPU, and disk space. However, generally when we refer to "resource usage" we are usually speaking of CPU and memory usage, not disk space or bandwidth. If your account was flagged for high resource usage, it means that we've identified that your account may be using more memory and CPU than what is normal or safe on your current platform. Excessive usage of system resources outside of the allowable limits of your hosting plan can be a violation of our Conditions of Use, and if sustained for a long period of time can result in your account being suspended or moved.
Why is this important?
In a shared environment where all customers on the server share and utilize system resources, a customer that is over-using system resources can cause problems for other users on the server. These problems are embodied by performance decreases, latency, and sometimes even downtime. For this reason, customers that use more CPU and memory than what is allowable on a shared server may be moved to another server, or asked to upgrade to a V-dedicated or Dedicated platform in order to retain a high quality of service for you and for other customers. Customers on V-dedicated systems that are exceeding their memory and CPU limits can cause the parent server housing their VPS to "spike" as well, which can cause a performance decreased for other V-dedicated customers on that server.
What causes high resource usage?
A number of things can cause your site to use more system resources than what may be appropriate. Almost every activity that takes place on your site requires CPU and memory on the server. Factors that affect your level of resource usage include a combination of all or some of the following: High traffic or a sudden increase in traffic
- High traffic or a sudden increase in traffic
- Site programming and site/database optimization
- Site design
- Search engine and robot activity
- Intensive cron jobs or scripts
What are my options?
We always give customers the option to either reduce their resource usage, or upgrade to a VPS or Dedicated platform.
In some situations it may not be possible to decrease your usage to levels that are acceptable on a shared system. Sites that utilize larger databases or are controlled by server-driven software (like PHP, Python, and Perl) and/or have larger images and files being hosted naturally require more resources in order to operate. Resource usage intensifies as traffic increases, which is why higher-traffic server-interactive sites tend to outgrow a shared platform more easily than static HTML sites. If your site is generally too resource-intensive for a shared system, an upgrade may be in your best interest. Keep in mind that we cannot offer programming assistance or support for third-party software, and we cannot offer definitive solutions to decrease your usage. However,we can offer tips and suggestions that have helped other customers in the past. Please refer to the below section for more information
Guide for optimizing your site for the purpose of using less system resources