By Deathlock on

I am sorry if this does not fit with the forum category... please consider to move it into the right one. :)

This might be such a noobish question, yet I am wondering if the amount of modules we add via FTP will affect the loading speed of the website itself. What will happen if I add hundreds, for example, of modules via FTP but only install some of which? Is the amount of unused modules stored in the /sites/all/modules folder slows the website more?

Or is it the modules installed which affects the loading speed -- so as long as that bunch of modules are not installed, they would remain as nothing but unused files in storage.

Again, I apologize if this sounds so much noobish; my knowledge in database-management and server-related stuffs is still shrouded by the mist...

Thank you very much for the replies.

⋅ Categories: Drupal 5.x

Comments

samhassell’s picture

samhassell commented

I don't think it matters unless you are viewing the modules page - that might hammer the server a bit, but it's only one page viewed by administrators, so you should be okay. I've thought about it before and I think this is correct. Anyone else agree with me?

Deathlock’s picture

Deathlock commented

Hmm... what if those bunch of modules are installed? Will they slow down the site?

cog.rusty’s picture

cog.rusty commented

Practically, they affect only the admin/build/modules page where their information is loaded.

Although I have seen a misbehaving (in my opinion) module which sneaks-in and loads itself simply by having the same name as a core module.

Deathlock’s picture

Deathlock commented

Then am I free to add as many modules as I want without irritating my visitors because of the loading speed?

Which misbehaving modules do you mean, by the way? Do they harm the system?

cog.rusty’s picture

cog.rusty commented

I wouldn't take it so far. Every module does something at one place or another.

They run database queries on various pages or blocks, they do some processing when you are doing something relevant to them (for example they resize an uploaded image), they take up memory at the pages where they work, and these things add up. 20 additional modules are fine, 50 additional modules is not an uncommon number either, but 100 will make you notice.

The misbehaving module that I was talking about was the Localizer module (Drupal 5). It contains a "taxonomy.module" and as soon as you upload it to sites/all/modules and look at the admin/build/modules page you find out that it has taken over taxonomy without being enabled.

By the way, have you heard of the "open buffet syndrome"?

http://2bits.com/articles/server-indigestion-the-drupal-contributed-modu...

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No, wait! If you meant *disabled* modules, there is no impact at all for your visitors. Somehow I lost the thread of the discussion.

Deathlock’s picture

Deathlock commented

Hmm... never heard of it before; I am really new to all these stuffs in Drupal and know nothing but HTML, CSS, and a bit of PHP when installing Wordpress... but now you've told me, at least I have the big picture.

I meant disabled modules, but I was also asking for enabled modules and seems you answer it both clearly. ^^; Thanks.

I have about 30 enabled modules on my site, and I suppose they should be no problem for my visitors? Yet one of them complains of its slowness though I found nothing changes with the speed... do crons have something to do with this? Because I remember him told me something about crons.

Ah, one more. Is 30 modules fine for country with majority of internet users still using dial-up modems? I thought it might be related with my visitor's complaining...

cog.rusty’s picture

cog.rusty commented

The number of modules affects mostly the load and speed of the server.

The connection speed of the visitors doesn't have to do with that, it has to do with how much stuff is transferred (graphics etc). If the server makes them wait for some queries, the problem is not their connection speed.

The speed of their computers themselves may be important when the site has a lot of javascript/ajax (because it is executed on the client computer). And Drupal 6 does have a lot.

Amix’s picture

Amix commented

only the active modules will affect users, so you can go ahead and test out as many as you wish :)
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