Hostgator says theme is using too much CPU

[grhoffman1]

Hello,

I am having slow load times on my 4 websites which have very little content on them. I just made one of them today and added only 1 outside plugin, wordfence.

I called HostGator and they said not only is it not their servers but its my websites fault for using too much CPU. Blaming bad plugins or coding and threatened to cut me off.

Can any help with the slow website speed problem or the CPU issue… whatever that is

Thanks

[rad]

Hi there,

Thanks for writing in.

Are you on shared hosting? Sometimes, it’s not the code that makes it slower but the alotted resources by the host environment. Example, let’s say your limit is 2 CPU but there are 2 running scripts then that means it’s going to 100% usage. And with that, it’s the host to blame.

Perhaps they can provide any logs about the usage in your site? How much CPU is being used? That’s because it’s only normal for CPU to be used in its 100%. It’s like buying a CPU with 8 CPU but you just wish to use 2 CPU which makes the other 6 useless.

This shouldn’t be a problem and not even a problem on my own site that uses the same theme and plugin.

Thanks!

[grhoffman1]

The host said Im using 73% of CPU and that I should switch to a VPS. The thing is my websites have been fine forever. Im not using any crazy plugins. Just out of the blue it went crazy.

Im not sure what to do

[rad]

Hi there,

Yes, the hardware stay the same, but software gain more features and functionalities over time which may require higher specs. And it’s true in all kinds of software unless it’s stagnant to its version. But given that your host wanted you to upgrade to VPS only means your current one has lower resources. Have you upgraded your Wordpress, themes, and plugins? I recommend downgrading it restoring the optimal copies.

Unfortunately, we don’t have control over their rules and it could change anytime. The 73% is still okay, and the question is how much CPU is given to your site and how much is in use. Because why would they give you 4 CPU (as an example) if you’re not allowed to use them all? Unless those 4 CPUs are shared within many sites on the same machine. And if there are 4 CPU and there are 4 sites, then that means 1 CPU for each, but what if there are 6 sites? That’s how shared hosting works, and it’s like don't use CPU as much as possible scenario. Though that’s just my understanding, only I could recommend for now is to switch to VPS or try another host.

Thanks!