When optimizing PHP applications, we obsess over RPS, P99 latency, and JIT performance — but one metric is equally important for production costs: memory efficiency. In the cloud, you pay for RAM. The question isn’t just “how fast” but “how much throughput per GB of memory.” We benchmarked PHP-FPM, Swoole, and RoadRunner — all configured … Read more
Choosing the right application server is one of the most important architectural decisions you can make in the PHP 8.5 era. It directly impacts your response times, throughput, operational complexity, and infrastructure costs.
Over the past year, we systematically benchmarked PHP-FPM, RoadRunner, Swoole, and FrankenPHP. This article is not about telling you “X is the best” – it gives you a practical, data‑driven decision framework, not marketing hype.
After our deep dive into PHP 8.5 JIT modes and the bare metal application server benchmarks, many readers asked the same question: Does Docker really slow down PHP application servers? Today we benchmark PHP-FPM, RoadRunner, and Swoole in three scenarios: bare metal, Docker default bridge network, and Docker host network + CPU pinning. The results are surprising—with the right flags, Docker can actually outperform bare metal.
After our initial JIT on/off benchmark and the I/O‑sensitive workload analysis, many readers asked two specific questions: Which JIT mode (tracing vs function) delivers the best real‑world performance? and Does the JIT behaviour differ between traditional PHP‑FPM, long‑running application servers like RoadRunner, and event‑driven servers like Swoole? This article answers exactly those questions. This PHP … Read more
PHP 8.5 is fast. But is your application running at its full potential? Over the past six months, PHPBenchLab has conducted 14 rigorous benchmarks, testing everything from OPcache settings and JIT compiler modes to four different application servers under punishing I/O latency. This guide consolidates all of those findings into a single, actionable optimization framework. Whether you’re running a simple WordPress blog or a high-traffic Laravel API, you will find a specific, data-backed recommendation to make your application faster.
In our previous benchmarks, we kept JIT disabled to isolate the impact of runtime architecture on performance. Readers immediately asked: “What happens when you turn JIT on?” Today, we answer that question definitively—by re-running our comprehensive four-environment, three-tier I/O latency test with PHP 8.5’s JIT compiler fully enabled. The results are surprising. JIT not only failed … Read more
In our previous benchmark, Swoole finished last in a light I/O workload, challenging its reputation as a performance monster. Readers immediately asked: “Is Swoole really that slow, or did the test simply not play to its strengths?” Today, we answer that question definitively—by putting all four application servers through escalating database latency and watching the … Read more
In this Swoole vs RoadRunner vs FrankenPHP PHP 8.5 benchmark, we put four application servers to the test. In our previous comparison, we evaluated PHP-FPM, RoadRunner, and FrankenPHP. Readers immediately asked: “Where’s Swoole?” Today, we answer that question by completing the most comprehensive PHP 8.5 application server comparison ever published.
In this PHP 8.5 application server benchmark, we put three runtimes to the test: traditional PHP‑FPM, RoadRunner, and FrankenPHP. Traditional PHP‑FPM has been the reliable workhorse for two decades. However, modern application servers promise higher concurrency, lower latency, and better resource efficiency. How much faster are they in a real‑world Laravel application? We compared all three … Read more
