Simple checks to make my HTTP server faster

Question

I am running my own webserver on a 384MB VPS from Slicehost to serve a Ruby on Rails application. I am running Phusion Passenger with Apache2.

I currently expect anywhere between 10-200 visits per day.

I am by no means a server admin so I would like to ask anyone who has advice. What are some simple checks I can do to make sure my server is running smoothly and quickly.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Using the Firefox extensions Page Speed and YSlow! does wonders for tuning your content.

Answer 2

You might start with Apache performance tuning, check the tuning recommendations for your database (if you're using MySQL or postgres), and/or consider running nginx to get the most out of your memory.