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I have a Level 3 VPS Linux server from Hostgator that I pay $50/month for. I know nothing about servers, but I'm aware this isn't the cheapest around, but far from the most expensive.

On the domain in question, I have a WordPress blog with a pretty tiny database (80MB) at this point. I installed the W3 Total Cache plugin, which recommended I install Opcode -- either APC, XCache, eAccelerator, or WinCache. Her ewas their response to that:

"I understand that you are trying to install APC on your vps. Unfortunately, we do not allow APC on level 3 vps'es since it requires large amounts of the shared memory. Additionally the plugin requires that you use fastcgi which also does not work well at all on a level 3 vps. The plugin will give you no measurable advantage when using suphp/cgi."

Finally you are running php 5.3.3 on your server which doesn't normally need OPCode Caching."

So Hostgator wants me to pay $104.95/month. I then inquired about memcached, and their response was this:

"Our installation for memcached also requires a level 5 VPS or higher. You're more than welcome to install it by hand but we do not recommend that you do so because of the resource issue it's likely going to cause. With that said, many customers use lower than level 5 VPS nodes with us and use caching built into their CMS."

I'm leery of hosts, as I know they're not always truthful. Is it possible to tell me if I'll receive performance and speed optimizations by installing memcached on my own? If so, is the (recommended) way to do this via WinSCP? Or should I look to move to another host? Thanks for any guidance anybody can offer!

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    WTF? Search for another hoster.
    – Emii Khaos
    Sep 28, 2013 at 10:06
  • I added what else they said in the ticket, Pazi. But this is rare that a hoster would say this? Appreciate the response -- but that's exactly what I'm trying to figure out -- if I should stay with these guys or move to a better host. Sep 28, 2013 at 10:14
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    That's not normal. I don't know what "level 3 VPS" means, but on a VPS I should install what I want.
    – Emii Khaos
    Sep 28, 2013 at 10:16
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    You can easily find a VPS with similar - or much better - specifications for less than $10/month. Hostgator is probably the most expensive I have ever seen at this range, and those particular answers make me think they are either incompetent or excessively greedy. Hell, even Amazon EC2 would be cheaper than that! Sep 28, 2013 at 13:42
  • Thanks Michael. Do you have any suggestions? I'm out of Detroit, Michigan ... and like I said, I know little about hosts and especially servers. But if I'm paying $50/month for 8-9 second page load times when the front-end is properly optimized, I'm open to any suggestions on hosts who could help me from the server side. Thanks! Sep 29, 2013 at 0:12

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Should I install memcached on my Level 3 VPS?

Yes, you should.

On the domain in question, I have a WordPress blog,
with a pretty tiny database (80MB) at this point.

It is normal for a WordPress blog to use 80MB of DB space. WordPress is a PHP application. So, any PHP application would usually benefit from opcode cache.

WordPress has its own caching layer, called WP Object Cache that can use APC, Xcache or memcached.

Any (PHP) application, including WordPress, can have full page caching too. Full page caching can be implemented either using standalone tools, such as Varnish or using tools that are closely tied to the application (example: W3 Total Cache for WordPress). Here too, W3 Total Cache can use APC, Xcache or memcached.

So, all three layers of caching (for WordPress), can use APC, Xcache or memcached (two layers), and can improve the performance and speed of WordPress in general. Memcached can be used in other ways in PHP, such as to store the sessions.

So...

Finally you are running php 5.3.3 on your server which
doesn't normally need OPCode Caching."

You know why it isn't true.

Is it possible to tell me if I'll receive performance
and speed optimizations by installing memcached on my own?

While I already answered this, I doubt, if you can install it by yourself, because...

If so, is the (recommended) way to do this via WinSCP?

Memcached can not be installed via WinSCP. It requires SSH to install memcached.

Or should I look to move to another host?

It may not be the easiest thing to do and sometimes it is just impractical. However, you should.

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    i agree, I also recommend that OP moves to another host. For the money you they paying, they can get a much better value at a number of other hosts. By the sounds of it hostgator's support is rather inept.
    – floodpants
    Sep 28, 2013 at 10:55
  • Thanks Pothi, for the explanations and the information! I'm doing everything I can to decrease my 8 second page load times, and I'm quite familiar with what needs to be done on the front end, but on the server side, I'm clueless. But I see that Dreamhost offers 300 MB of disk space for just $15/month, and they have all the Opcode caching nodes. I think I will look in to moving hosts for this domain, Pothi ... just based on how you explained things and what Drinxy and Pazi have said. Thank you for taking the time to respond! Sep 28, 2013 at 12:06

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