Akismet Increasing DB size in the wp_commentmeta table

  • I have gone over my web hosting account’s allowed Disk Quota due to database bloat. After much researching and digging around in phpMyAdmin I have discovered that the culprit is one particular table – wp_commentmeta.

    This table in the website’s database is huge, over 125mb. All the other tables are under 1mb.

    I have read that the bloating of this table is caused by the Akismet plugin and there are all manner of hacks attempting to fix the problem. Most of these discussions were several years old though and no longer apply.

    I’ve been unable to update my site since this issue maxed out the disk quota. It is therefore important that I am able to reduce the size of the database so that I can once again use the website.

    So, I have gone in to phpMyAdmin and cleared the wp_commentmeta table. It now states that the table is empty and 0mb in size but CPanel is telling me that my database is still over 125mb in size. Have I fixed the problem and CPanel is just slow to catch on or is there something I am missing?

    All ideas and suggestions are welcomed.
    Also, any ideas on how to prevent this issue continuing in future is much appreciated.

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  • I have an almost identical issue. My commentmeta file is now over 60MB and my hosting company is threatening to suspend my account.

    Can I empty this table safely and why does this seem to happening anyway?

    Dave333, did clearing the table make a difference?

    Thread Starter Dave333

    (@dave333)

    The wp_commentmeta table was reduced and is now still only 7mb in size. I think it was happening because I was receiving a particularly large amount of spam and Akismet saves this spam (for 2 weeks I think) in order to learn what is and what isn’t spam. I had added some additional code to my contact forms as these were getting hit hard by spammers.

    I recommend you install the plugin WP-Optimize. This can be scheduled to clean up your database on a regular basis. It’s also handy for viewing your DB’s tables without having to go into PHPMyAdmin.

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