Server Response Time Issues

What This Means

Server Response Time (also measured as Time to First Byte - TTFB) is the time between the browser requesting a page and receiving the first byte of the response. Slow server response directly impacts all subsequent loading metrics.

Impact

• Poor Core Web Vitals - High TTFB affects LCP
• Increased bounce rates - Users leave slow sites
• SEO penalties - Google considers page speed a ranking factor
• Lower conversions - Every 100ms delay reduces conversions

Benchmarks

How to Diagnose

Chrome DevTools

1. Open DevTools (F12)
2. Go to Network tab
3. Reload page
4. Click on the main document
5. Check "Waiting (TTFB)" in Timing

Command Line

# cURL with timing
curl -w "DNS: %{time_namelookup}s\nConnect: %{time_connect}s\nTTFB: %{time_starttransfer}s\nTotal: %{time_total}s\n" -o /dev/null -s https://example.com

Tools

• PageSpeed Insights
• WebPageTest
• GTmetrix

General Fixes

1. Enable Server-Side Caching

Reduce database queries and processing:

PHP/WordPress:

// Enable object caching with Redis/Memcached
define('WP_CACHE', true);

Node.js:

const cache = require('memory-cache');

app.get('/page', (req, res) => {
  const cached = cache.get(req.url);
  if (cached) return res.send(cached);

  const content = generatePage();
  cache.put(req.url, content, 300000); // 5 min
  res.send(content);
});

2. Optimize Database Queries

• Add indexes to frequently queried columns
• Reduce complex JOINs
• Implement query caching
• Use connection pooling

3. Use a CDN

Serve content from edge locations closer to users:

Popular CDNs:

• Cloudflare
• Fastly
• AWS CloudFront
• Akamai

4. Upgrade Hosting

Consider:

• More CPU/RAM resources
• SSD storage
• Better network connectivity
• Managed hosting with optimizations

5. Enable HTTP/2 or HTTP/3

Modern protocols improve connection efficiency:

• Multiplexed connections
• Header compression
• Server push capabilities

6. Optimize Application Code

• Profile slow code paths
• Remove blocking operations
• Implement async processing
• Use efficient algorithms

Server Configuration

Nginx Optimization

# Enable gzip
gzip on;
gzip_types text/plain text/css application/json application/javascript;

# Enable caching
proxy_cache_path /tmp/cache levels=1:2 keys_zone=my_cache:10m max_size=100m;

# Keepalive connections
keepalive_timeout 65;

Apache Optimization

# Enable compression
<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
  AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/css application/javascript
</IfModule>

# Enable caching
<IfModule mod_expires.c>
  ExpiresActive On
  ExpiresByType text/html "access plus 1 hour"
</IfModule>

Platform-Specific Guides

Related

• TTFB Performance
• CDN Configuration
• Caching Issues