Make Drupal faster - Performance optimization tips

Why speed matters

A fast website is not only better for visitors, it also has a direct impact on your conversion and Google ranking.

Google ranking: Page speed has been a ranking factor since 2010
Bounce rate: 1 second delay = 7% fewer conversions
User experience: 53% of visitors leave your site when load time >3 seconds

Drupal 10 built-in performance features

Drupal 10 has powerful caching out of the box. Enable these first!

Page Cache

Cached HTML for anonymous visitors. Huge speed gains for blogs and corporate sites.

Full pages are cached
Only for anonymous users
Database queries are skipped

Enable: Configuration → Performance → "Cache pages for anonymous users"

Dynamic Page Cache

Cached pages for logged-in users. Personalized content keeps working.

Also works for logged-in users
Personalization keeps working
Cache contexts per user role

Enable: Enabled by default in Drupal 10 (module: Dynamic Page Cache)

BigPipe

Facebook's technology for progressive page rendering. Content loads in chunks.

Page loads in parts
Faster perceived performance
Especially good for personalization

Enable: Extend → Enable "BigPipe" module

CSS/JS Aggregation

Bundle and minify CSS and JavaScript. Fewer HTTP requests = faster load.

Multiple files → 1 bundled file
Minification (whitespace removal)
Browser caching headers

Enable: Configuration → Performance → "Aggregate CSS/JS files"

Best Drupal performance modules

These modules make your Drupal site even faster

Advanced CSS/JS Aggregation

Must-have

Advanced asset optimization. Compression, minification and smart bundling.

Brotli and Gzip compression
Critical CSS extraction
Async/defer JavaScript

composer require drupal/advagg

Redis / Memcache

Advanced

In-memory caching for database queries. Extreme speed gains for busy sites.

Cache in RAM instead of database
10-100x faster than database cache
Requires hosting with Redis/Memcached

composer require drupal/redis

Image Optimize

Performance

Automatic image optimization. WebP conversion and lossless compression.

WebP with fallback to JPEG
Integration with image styles
Pipelines: ImageMagick, Kraken.io

composer require drupal/imageapi_optimize

Lazy Load

Performance

Lazy loading for images and iframes. Only loads content that is in view.

Faster initial page load
Less data usage
Native browser lazy loading

composer require drupal/lazy

CDN

Infrastructure

Integration with CDN services. Static files from edge servers worldwide.

Cloudflare, CloudFront, KeyCDN
Faster for international users
Less load on your server

composer require drupal/cdn

Views Cache Buster

Utility

Smart cache invalidation for Views. Only update cache when content changes.

Tag-based cache invalidation
Long cache lifetimes possible
Avoid unnecessary cache clears

Built into Drupal 10

Database optimization tips

A fast database is the foundation of a fast Drupal site

1. Optimize Views queries

Views can be slow with lots of content. Use pagers, limit results and enable caching.

Tip: Enable "Query results" caching (time-based) and "Rendered output" caching (tag-based)

2. Clean up old revisions

Content revisions can bloat your database. Use the Node Revision Delete module to automatically remove old revisions.

composer require drupal/node_revision_delete

3. Use database indexes

Drupal creates indexes automatically, but custom fields can benefit from extra indexes on frequently used filters.

Check: EXPLAIN your slow queries and add indexes where needed (via hook_schema)

4. Clean up logs and watchdog

Database logs can become enormous. Limit log retention or use the Syslog module.

Setting: Configuration → Development → Logging → "Database log messages to keep"

Views performance checklist

Views are powerful but can be slow. Optimize them with these tips:

Enable caching: Cache both query results and rendered output Use pagers: Don't load all results at once (limit to 10-50 items) Limit fields: Load only fields you need, not all fields Avoid relationships: JOINs are expensive, use contextual filters as alternative Index filter fields: Add database indexes to frequently used filter fields Use Ajax pagers: For better UX without full page reload Check query performance: Enable "Show SQL query" in Views preview and check EXPLAIN

The impact of good hosting on speed

You can optimize Drupal as much as you want, but bad hosting remains a bottleneck. Choose hosting with these specs:

SSD storage

10x faster than HDD for database queries

Sufficient RAM

At least 1GB, preferably 2GB+ for Drupal 10

PHP 8.2+

PHP 8.2 is up to 30% faster than PHP 8.1

Redis/Memcached

Object caching for extreme speed

Compare fast Drupal hosting

Frequently asked questions about Drupal performance

How fast should my Drupal site be?

Aim for a Time to First Byte (TTFB) under 200ms and a Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) under 2.5 seconds. Google's PageSpeed Insights should score at least 90+. For e-commerce sites, sub-second load time is ideal.

Is Drupal 10 faster than Drupal 9?

Yes! Drupal 10 runs on Symfony 6.2 and requires PHP 8.1+. PHP 8.1 is up to 20% faster than PHP 7.4. Additionally, caching and asset handling have been improved. An upgrade to Drupal 10 gives immediate speed gains.

Which caching module is best: Redis or Memcache?

Redis is more modern and has more features (persistence, data structures). For Drupal caching, both are comparable in speed. Redis is the recommended choice and is supported by more hosting providers. Check if your hosting provider offers Redis or Memcache.

Should I use Advanced CSS/JS Aggregation?

Yes, definitely! The built-in aggregation is basic. The AdvAgg module adds Brotli compression, critical CSS, minification and smart bundling. This can improve your PageSpeed score by 10-20 points. Do enable the standard aggregation first before installing AdvAgg.

How do I check if my Views are slow?

Enable the Devel module and use the Devel toolbar. In Views preview you can enable "Show SQL query". Run this query in phpMyAdmin with EXPLAIN in front to see if indexes are being used. Queries above 100ms are slow. Add caching and limit results.

Is a CDN needed for a Dutch site?

For Dutch visitors only, the effect is limited if your hosting is in the Netherlands. But a CDN like Cloudflare also provides DDoS protection, SSL and image optimization (free plan). For international sites, a CDN is essential for speed.

What are Core Web Vitals and how do I improve them?

Core Web Vitals are Google's performance metrics: LCP (loading speed), FID (interactivity) and CLS (visual stability). Improve them by: fast hosting, lazy loading, image optimization, CSS/JS minification and caching. Test with PageSpeed Insights and fix the red items first.

Ready for a lightning-fast Drupal site?

Choose hosting with SSD, PHP 8.2+ and Redis. Install the right modules. Enjoy sub-second load times.

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