Large WordPress Database – over 1 million posts

  • I have read several posts on the sizes and problems of the wordpress databases when they get too big, we are currently over 400k posts and look to reach over 5-6 million posts by the end of this year. We estimate that once we get to that level the DB will be about 2.5-3 gb, maybe more. The post pages are small, it’s a directory somewhat like yellowpages.

    We know that is going to be a huge database. I have not read anyone getting one that big on wordpress, even though as wordpress grows more and more people use wordpress for a variety of reasons, eventually others will have huge databases and this post might help others.

    We are using the current wordpress version 3.2.1, but normally upgrade when the upgrades come out (first we update the test site – then if all goes well, we update the production site)

    We are running our own servers (2) – at home. My partner is the one who knows about the server stuff, I’ll bring him into this when we get some good responses.

    The site is running a few plugins:
    Askimet
    All in One SEO Pack
    SEO Smart Links

    Eventually we will add a Cache plugin, but not sure whether to use W3 Cache or Super Cache – Any Suggestions?

    So far we are not experiencing too many problems other than some of the searches on the site respond a little slow (15-25 seconds). The pages load within 3-5 seconds. The tag pages are very fast, within 2 seconds (currently about 11k tags)

    Does anyone have any tips, suggestions, ideas or even any feedback if wordpress can even handle the size we are estimating to reach?

    Would we be better of creating a multisite? If so, please give me some suggestions – I have no idea about multi-site….

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  • Hi Frank,

    I know this post is ten months old, but I just wanted to leave a brief comment to help anyone else that may come across this.

    First thing’s first, I hope you have some kind of backup solution in place. For those interested in any easy backup solution using a WordPress plugin, there is XCloner which allows you to easily backup your database and all your website’s files.

    I’m not sure why you have yet to install a caching plugin–I recommend W3. Following the recommended settings for each option in that plugin will give your site a nice edge and speed things up.

    I hope you’re also optimizing your database regularly (for a site your size, at the very least once a week, but it would be even better if you could do it every day). You can do this programmatically or use a WordPress plugin like WP-DBManager. A repair may also be helpful every now and then depending on what kind of changes the site goes through.

    Depending on the specifications of your two servers and internet speed, it may also be worthwhile to upgrade.

    I hope this helped you or anyone else that may stumble upon this.

    – Colton

    And also, use this plugin will make your database size a little bit smaller OR even dramatically reduce your database size. Better Delete Revision. Visit the page and read the description of the plugin and you will know why you need this plugin.

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