How to Improve Page Load Speed in PrestaShop with Heavy Product Catalogs?

[dexterjones]

I’m managing a PrestaShop store with a large product catalog, and I’ve noticed significant slowdowns in page load times, especially on category pages with high product counts. What are the best practices for optimizing database queries, caching, and server configurations in PrestaShop to handle large catalogs efficiently? Are there any specific modules or tools that can help with performance tuning?
Looking forward to expert advice!

[Prestashop Addict]

Please can you specify PS, PHP versions and how huge is your catalog (products/variations, categories, brands, customer groups, specific prices, catalog rules...)

[dexterjones]

PrestaShop Version: 1.7.8.8

PHP Version: 7.4

Catalog Details:

Products: 500

Variations: ~3 per product on average

Categories: 20+

Customer Groups: 5

Specific Prices: Around 50 rules

Catalog Rules: 10 active rules

[Divine]

Hello,

This is not so huge. Which theme do you use ?

[Nickz]

7 hours ago, dexterjones said:

I’ve noticed significant slowdowns in page load times

Do you use cloud hosting, or a CDN for images?

[Prestashop Addict]

Not very large catalog 😉 Certainly a server performance issue (cpu/ram/disk) and or theme. If you use the PS cache 1rst generation of cache will generate language * group cache files for each template used in the category page, and if you have a module that doesn't use a cache or need to get real time data, this slow the processing.

[El Patron]

On 11/20/2024 at 11:06 AM, dexterjones said:

I’m managing a PrestaShop store with a large product catalog, and I’ve noticed significant slowdowns in page load times, especially on category pages with high product counts. What are the best practices for optimizing database queries, caching, and server configurations in PrestaShop to handle large catalogs efficiently? Are there any specific modules or tools that can help with performance tuning?
Looking forward to expert advice!

without front office access (direct message me if you like), I can give some  general advice

hosting upgrade to nvme ssd significantly increased data transfer.

reviewing via phpmyadmin (or workbench) mysql configuration and tune accordingly 

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if using faceted search, filtering, check that there is not 'one' template for all categories, this can cause slow down.  rather create filter templates for each category.

use front end performance measurement tool like https://www.webpagetest.org/ which provides insights 

use chrome inspect to find where blocking occurs  

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I offer two modules that remove render blocking for .js and .css files (here)