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Performance

Make TYPO3 faster

Load times under 2 seconds? That's possible with TYPO3. Discover which caching options, TypoScript optimizations and server configurations make your website blazing fast.

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TYPO3 can be extremely fast when configured properly. The problem is: not everything is optimized by default. With the right caching, database tuning and server configuration, you can achieve load times under 2 seconds - even for complex enterprise sites.

Why speed is crucial

  • • Google uses load time as a ranking factor
  • • 40% of visitors leave your site at >3 seconds load time
  • • 1 second delay = 7% fewer conversions
  • • Core Web Vitals determine your SEO performance

Configure TYPO3 page caching

The biggest performance gains come from caching

Enable page cache

Enabled by default, but check your TypoScript:

config {
  # Cache pages
  no_cache = 0
  sendCacheHeaders = 1
  cache_period = 86400

  # Clear cache on save
  cache_clearAtMidnight = 1
}

This caches pages for 24 hours (86400 seconds).

Choose cache backend

LocalConfiguration.php - Redis is fastest:

'SYS' => [
  'caching' => [
    'cacheConfigurations' => [
      'pages' => [
        'backend' => \TYPO3\CMS\Core\Cache\Backend\RedisBackend::class,
        'options' => [
          'hostname' => 'localhost',
          'database' => 0,
        ],
      ],
    ],
  ],
],

Static file cache

For maximum speed: generate static HTML files

  1. Install extension: staticfilecache
  2. Configure .htaccess rewrite rules
  3. Pages are saved as HTML
  4. Webserver serves HTML directly

Let op: Only suitable for sites without personalization or login functionality.

Varnish reverse proxy

For enterprise sites with high traffic:

  • Varnish in front of server (ask hosting provider)
  • Install TYPO3 varnish extension
  • Can handle 10,000+ requests/second

Optimize TypoScript

Inefficient TypoScript can dramatically slow down your site

Reduce database queries

Wrong (slow):

lib.menu = HMENU
lib.menu.1 = TMENU
lib.menu.1.NO.doNotLinkIt = 1

Good (fast):

lib.menu = HMENU
lib.menu.cache.lifetime = 86400

Optimize image processing

lib.image = IMAGE
lib.image {
  file.maxW = 1200
  file.maxH = 800
  params = -quality 85 -strip
  sourceCollection {
    small {
      maxW = 480
      mediaQuery = (max-width: 480px)
    }
  }
}

Remove unused extensions

Each extension adds overhead:

  • • Admin Tools > Extensions
  • • Deactivate extensions you don't use
  • • Remove via Composer or Extension Manager
  • • Check autoload.php for orphaned entries

Minimize TypoScript

Keep TypoScript lean:

  • • Remove debug output in production
  • • Use lib objects for reuse
  • • Combine CSS/JS files
  • • Disable unused PAGE objects

Database performance tuning

An optimized database makes TYPO3 significantly faster

MySQL/MariaDB configuration

# my.cnf of my.ini

[mysqld]
innodb_buffer_pool_size = 1G
innodb_log_file_size = 256M
query_cache_size = 64M
query_cache_type = 1
max_connections = 200
tmp_table_size = 64M
max_heap_table_size = 64M

Adjust buffer pool to 50-70% of available RAM for dedicated database server.

Optimize database tables

# Via MySQL CLI

OPTIMIZE TABLE cache_pages;
OPTIMIZE TABLE cache_hash;
OPTIMIZE TABLE sys_log;
ANALYZE TABLE pages;
ANALYZE TABLE tt_content;

Run this monthly or automate via cronjob. Especially important for cache tables.

Check indexes

Use TYPO3's DB Check tool:

  1. Admin Tools > Maintenance
  2. Analyze Database Structure
  3. Click "Compare" for missing indexes
  4. Apply suggested changes

Server configuration for fast TYPO3

Hardware and software requirements that make a difference

PHP version

  • • Minimum: PHP 8.1
  • • Recommended: PHP 8.2+
  • • OPcache enabled
  • • JIT compiler (PHP 8+)
  • • memory_limit ≥ 256M

Web server

  • • Apache met mod_rewrite
  • • Of nginx (sneller)
  • • HTTP/2 enabled
  • • Gzip/Brotli compressie
  • • SSL/TLS certificaat

Storage & memory

  • • SSD storage (niet HDD!)
  • • NVMe voor enterprise
  • • ≥ 2GB RAM (klein)
  • • ≥ 8GB RAM (enterprise)
  • • Dedicated resources

Hosting choice is crucial

Shared hosting with 100+ sites on one server? Your TYPO3 site will never be fast. Choose VPS or dedicated hosting with the above specs. Check our TYPO3 hosting comparison for specialized providers.

Frontend optimization

Optimize CSS, JavaScript and images

CSS/JS concatenation

Combine CSS and JS files in TypoScript:

page {
  includeCSS {
    main = EXT:sitepackage/Resources/Public/Css/main.css
  }
  includeJS {
    app = EXT:sitepackage/Resources/Public/Js/app.js
  }

  # Concatenate & compress
  config {
    concatenateCss = 1
    concatenateJs = 1
    compressCss = 1
    compressJs = 1
  }
}

Optimize images

Combine multiple strategies:

  • • Use WebP format (80% smaller)
  • • Lazy loading: loading="lazy"
  • • Responsive images with srcset
  • • ImageMagick quality at 85
  • • CDN for static assets

Configure CDN

Serve static files via CDN for faster load times worldwide:

config {
  absRefPrefix = https://cdn.jouwdomein.nl/
  # Of gebruik extensie: cdn
}

Popular CDNs: Cloudflare, KeyCDN, Amazon CloudFront

Critical CSS inline

Place above-the-fold CSS inline for faster render:

  • • Extract critical CSS (tool: criticalcss.com)
  • • Inline in section
  • • Load rest via preload
  • • Improve First Contentful Paint

Monitor performance

Measure and track your TYPO3 speed

PageSpeed

Google PageSpeed Insights for Core Web Vitals

Test your site →
GTmetrix

Detailed waterfall analysis and recommendations

Test your site →
WebPageTest

Test from different locations and devices

Test your site →

Target metrics for TYPO3

  • • Time to First Byte (TTFB): < 600ms
  • • First Contentful Paint (FCP): < 1.8s
  • • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): < 2.5s
  • • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): < 0.1
  • • Total Blocking Time (TBT): < 200ms

Frequently asked questions about TYPO3 performance

Why is my TYPO3 site so slow?

Most common causes: no page caching configured, inefficient TypoScript with too many database queries, too many unused extensions, poor hosting (shared hosting with limited resources), no OPcache, or large unoptimized images. First check if page caching is enabled.

Which cache backend is fastest for TYPO3?

Redis is fastest for most use cases. It keeps cache in-memory and is blazing fast. Alternative: APCu for small sites on one server, or Memcached for multi-server setups. File-based cache (default) is slowest but works everywhere. For maximum performance: Redis + Varnish combination.

Does TYPO3 need a CDN?

For international sites or sites with many images: absolutely. A CDN serves static assets (CSS, JS, images) from edge servers close to your visitors. This dramatically speeds up load time for visitors outside your server region. Cloudflare has a free tier, KeyCDN is affordable. Configure via absRefPrefix or the CDN extension.

What is staticfilecache and should I use it?

Staticfilecache generates pre-rendered HTML files that are served directly by the webserver, without loading PHP/TYPO3. This is extremely fast but only works for fully static pages without personalization. Not suitable if you have login functionality, shopping cart or personalized content. For blogs and corporate sites: ideal.

How much RAM does TYPO3 need for good performance?

Minimum 2GB for small sites, but 4-8GB is better for production. Enterprise sites with high traffic need 16GB+. PHP memory_limit should be set to 256M (512M for backend intensive work). OPcache also needs memory. Shared hosting with 512MB total is hopeless - choose VPS or dedicated hosting.

Can I test TYPO3 performance before going live?

Yes! Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix and WebPageTest on your staging environment. Install adminpanel extension for TYPO3-specific debug info (query counts, rendering time). Check the TypoScript Object Browser for cache hits. Load test with Apache Bench or k6 to see how much traffic your server can handle.

Fast TYPO3 hosting with performance optimizations

Choose hosting with Redis cache, OPcache, HTTP/2 and SSD storage. From €10/month for optimized TYPO3 performance.

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