Websites have become part of our daily routines. Sometimes they fail us. This post shares how to check website overload in cPanel, its causes, and measures to take.

A well-functioning website attracts and engages visitors, delivers content, and facilitates online transactions. 

However, there are instances when a website can experience overload. It leads to poor performance, slow loading times, and complete unresponsiveness. 

What is website overload?

It’s an instance where the website fails to load. This happens because the resources available are not enough to handle incoming traffic.

Data can’t be shared effectively between the server and the client. Sometimes this happens from sudden traffic or even a denial of service attack.

Be on the lookout for your website, as an overload makes your site unavailable. You lose users, money, and more.

Everyone wants a trustable site they can transact with instantly.

Five causes of website overload

Website overload can occur due to a variety of factors. Let’s explore some common causes:

1. A sudden surge in traffic

You know those moments when everyone rushes to a website all at once, like when concert tickets go on sale? 

Well, that sudden surge in traffic can put a lot of strain on the server, leading to overload. It’s like when the server says, “Whoa, too many requests!”

It can have a lasting impact on your business’s reputation, even if the spike in traffic is short-lived.

2. Inadequate server resources

Now, picture this scenario: You have multiple servers to handle the incoming traffic, but one of them goes offline for maintenance or experiences a sudden malfunction. 

The problem is all the extra traffic that would have gone to that server now gets redirected to the backup server. 

And as you can imagine, it can quickly become overwhelming trying to handle all that unexpected load.

3. Computer viruses and worms

These can wreak havoc on your website’s performance. Some viruses and worms go undetected and spread rapidly.

When numerous computers or browsers get infected, it creates abnormal traffic patterns that disrupt the regular operation of the server.

It’s like a virtual traffic jam caused by those pesky online pests.

4. DoS and DDoS attacks

Hackers carry out These malicious acts to make a server unavailable to its legitimate users. How do they do it? 

They flood the network with a barrage of false requests, overwhelming the server and causing it to crash.

It’s like a virtual assault on your website, where hackers are playing a game of denial, saying, “Nope, you can’t access this server!”

5. Resource-intensive scripts or plugins

Some websites rely on complex scripts or resource-intensive plugins to deliver certain functionalities. 

If these scripts or plugins are not optimized or have inherent inefficiencies, they can consume excessive server resources, leading to overload.

These are just a few examples of how website overload can happen. Always check website overload and take steps to protect your website from the negative effects it can bring. 

After all, a smoothly running website is the key to keeping your visitors happy and your online reputation intact.

Practices to prevent it

Prevention is always better than dealing with the consequences of website overload. Here are some best practices to ensure your website can handle traffic without compromising performance:

1. Optimize website performance- focus on optimizing your website for speed and efficiency. Minimize HTTP requests, compress files, leverage caching mechanisms, and use efficient coding practices to reduce server resource consumption.
2. Implement load balancing- load balancing involves distributing the incoming traffic across multiple servers. By spreading the load, you can prevent a single server from becoming overloaded and ensure smooth website performance even during peak traffic.
3. Monitor website traffic and resources- monitor your website’s traffic and resource usage. Use analytics tools to gain insights into visitor patterns, identify potential traffic spikes, and proactively allocate additional resources when needed.
4. Utilize Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)- they help optimize content delivery by caching website assets on servers in various geographical regions. Serving content from the closest server to the user, CDNs, reduces the strain on the main server, resulting in improved website performance.
5. Scale your hosting environment- as your website grows and traffic increases, consider scaling your hosting environment. Upgrade to a hosting plan that offers more server resources, such as increased CPU capacity, RAM, or bandwidth, to accommodate higher traffic loads.
6. Implement DDoS protection measures- protect your website from attacks by implementing robust security measures. Utilize firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and DDoS mitigation services to identify and mitigate malicious traffic before it overwhelms your website.
7. Regularly update and optimize scripts and plugins- keep your scripts, themes, and plugins up to date to benefit from performance improvements and security patches. Remove any unnecessary or resource-intensive plugins and choose lightweight alternatives whenever possible.

Website overload can significantly impact user experience, lead to customer dissatisfaction, and harm your online presence. 

How to check website overload causes in cPanel

1. Accessing cPanel resource usage

To diagnose website overload causes, the first step is to access the cPanel control panel. Log in to cPanel with your credentials.

Once logged in, locate the Resource Usage section within cPanel. Click and proceed to the resource usage dashboard.

Check your metrics and information about your website’s resource consumption.

2. Understanding Resource Usage Metrics

Within the Resource Usage section of cPanel, various metrics provide insights into your website’s resource utilization. 

It is what you see before you get into resource usage metrics. It’s a brief statistic that shows your overall performance.

The critical resource usage metrics include CPU Usage, Memory Usage, Entry Processes, Inode Usage, and Network Usage.

Let’s delve into each of these metrics to understand their significance:

• CPU Usage- CPU usage indicates the amount of processor time consumed by your website’s processes. Monitoring CPU usage helps identify if specific processes or scripts are causing excessive load on the server.
• Memory Usage- Memory usage refers to the amount of RAM your website utilizes and its associated processes. High memory usage can slow down your website’s performance, and analyzing memory usage helps identify memory-intensive processes or scripts.
• Entry Processes- Entry processes represent the number of concurrent connections to your website. 

• Inode Usage- Inodes are data structures that store information about files and directories on a server. Inode usage refers to the number of inodes your website’s files utilize. Managing inodes effectively is crucial to prevent overload issues related to file storage and directory structure.
• Network Usage- tracks the data transfer between your website and its visitors. Monitoring network usage helps detect abnormal spikes or patterns indicating an overload or excessive bandwidth consumption.

3. Interpreting Resource Usage Data

Once you can access the resource usage metrics in cPanel, it’s essential to interpret the data effectively. 

Comparing the current resource usage with normal levels will help identify if your website is experiencing excessive load. 

Look for any patterns or spikes in resource usage that could indicate overload. Analyzing historical data can also provide insights into resource consumption trends and patterns.

Analyzing database queries in cPanel allows you to identify slow or resource-intensive queries affecting your website’s responsiveness. 

By optimizing these queries, implementing proper indexing, or utilizing caching mechanisms, you can improve database performance and alleviate website overload.

4. Utilizing error logs

Error logs provide valuable information about any errors or warnings encountered by your website. 

Accessing error logs in cPanel allows you to identify frequent errors or warnings that may indicate underlying issues contributing to website overload. 

You can improve website stability and performance by troubleshooting and resolving these errors.

Here is an example of an overloaded website:

Error 500 is associated with the server being unable to fulfill your needs. Here are some other errors;

• Error 501 happens when you try to reach a site, but the server doesn’t support the functionality required to fulfill the request. Fix it by clearing the cache and refreshing.
• Error 502- it’s a bad gateway that happens when the server gets an invalid response from another server. Check the URL, flush DNS, and refresh.
• Error 503- service unavailable; the server can’t handle your request.
• Error 504- gateway timeout; the server didn’t get a response in time from the upstream server to process your request.

5. Seeking professional help

While cPanel provides powerful tools for diagnosing website overload causes, there may be situations where seeking professional help becomes necessary. 

If you cannot identify or resolve the causes of website overload on your own, it’s recommended to consult a web developer or system administrator. 

These professionals have expertise in diagnosing and resolving complex website performance issues.

Their assistance can save time, provide valuable insights, and ensure your website operates optimally.

Wrap up;

As seen, it’s easy to check website overload causes in cPanel. Do this often to maintain optimal website performance.

Use cPanel’s resource usage tools and metrics to:

• Gain valuable insights into CPU usage
• Memory usage
• Entry processes
• Inode usage
• Network usage and database performance.

Analyze and interpret this data to identify potential overload causes, leading to effective troubleshooting and optimization.

Regular monitoring, proactive troubleshooting, and leveraging cPanel’s resources make the user experience suitable and ensure the websites perform at their best.