How to Check Web Hosting server speed?

Are you happy with your current hosting provider ?

There are several methods to check the speed and performance of your web hosting server. Here are some effective ways:

1. Online Speed Testing Tools:

  • GTmetrix: Provides detailed reports on website performance, including load time, page size, and suggestions for improvement.
  • Google PageSpeed Insights analyses your website’s speed on both mobile and desktop devices, offering optimisation suggestions.
  • Pingdom Tools: Offers a website speed test that provides insights into load times and performance grades.

2. Web Hosting Provider Tools:

  • Many hosting providers offer in-built tools or dashboards that display server performance metrics. Check your hosting account’s control panel for such features.

3. Command Line Tools:

  • Ping: Use the command prompt or terminal to ping your server’s IP address. This measures the response time between your computer and the server.
  • Traceroute or Tracert: This command shows the network path and response times between your computer and the server, identifying any delays along the route.

4. Monitoring Services:

  • Utilise third-party monitoring services like New Relic, Datadog, or Nagios. These services continuously monitor server performance and provide detailed metrics.

5. Load Testing Tools:

  • Services like Apache JMeter, Load Impact, or Siege allow you to simulate high traffic loads on your server to see how it handles increased demand.

6. Browser Developer Tools:

  • Chrome DevTools: In Chrome, right-click on a webpage, select “Inspect,” and go to the “Network” tab. This shows load times for individual elements and overall page load performance.

7. Content Delivery Networks (CDN) Tools:

  • If you’re using a CDN, some providers offer analytics and performance reports that detail server response times and content delivery speeds.

8. Benchmarking Tools:

  • Tools like Apache Bench (ab) or Siege allow you to benchmark your server’s performance by simulating multiple concurrent users accessing your site.

9. Server Health Check Scripts:

  • You can run server health check scripts or commands specific to your server environment (e.g., Linux, Windows) to assess CPU usage, memory, and disk I/O.

10. Third-Party Performance Analytics:

  • Use services like WebPageTest, which provides insights into various performance metrics, including first-byte time, time to first paint, and more.

Tips:

  • Run tests from different locations to assess global server response times.
  • Test during different times of the day to account for varying traffic loads.
  • Compare your results with industry benchmarks or similar websites to gauge performance.

Using a combination of these methods will give you a comprehensive understanding of your web hosting server’s speed and performance, enabling you to identify areas for improvement.