Memory refers to the RAM (Random Access Memory) that a server uses to store active data temporarily for quick access and processing.
Your hosting account comes with access to a set quantity of server memory resources dependant on the type of subscription. You can view the memory usage of your hosting account from your hosting control panel.
1. Log in to your hosting control panel
2. Click on the Resource Usage button
3. Click on the Current Usage tab
4. Locate the Physical Memory Usage graph
5. On the Physical Memory Usage graph, you will see a green line indicating average use and a red line where the memory limit is demarcated for your hosting plan. Any lines above the red limit line denote instances where memory resources were exceeded on the hosting account.
You can modify the timeframe of the memory usage by adjusting the Timeframe and Time Unit drop downs.
Understanding how your memory resources are being used can help you better manage your website. If your memory usage is consistently above the limit line, it will result in slower load times for your visitors or even in your appearing down due to exhausted resource usage.
If you notice high memory usage, consider the following actions:
- Optimize: Reduce the number of plugins, compress images, use efficient code, or employ a caching solution to decrease memory load. You can use the steps outlined here: Fix a slow website
- Isolate: If you have many websites hosted on the same hosting plan, they pull from only one set of memory resources. Consider isolating website(s) onto their own separate hosting accounts to provide more memory access to each one.
- Upgrade: If you’d like to keep all of your websites on a single hosting plan and simply want them to have access to increased memory resources, consider an upgrade to a hosting plan with more resources.