The aim of this project was to optimize the performance of a multi-tenant e-commerce platform through the use of Varnish Cache. The platform is used by various clients and is designed for high loads, which requires fast loading times and stable access. With a sophisticated caching strategy, rate limiting and a special deployment setup, efficiency was maximized and scaling optimized while ensuring a secure, reliable user experience. The solution reduces server costs and the need for horizontal scaling through the use of a powerful server.
Functionalities in detail
- Varnish Cache for high performance and protection:
- By using Varnish Cache, loading times are greatly reduced, which improves the user experience on the platform.
- Varnish serves as an additional layer of security by blocking malicious bots and attackers through integrated rate limiting.
- This solution avoids the cost and complexity of horizontal scaling as the powerful server, together with Varnish, is sufficient to handle the load.
- Blue-Green deployment with page preheating:
- During deployment, key pages are pre-cached (pre-warmed) to ensure uninterrupted transition between environments.
- The blue-green deployment enables smooth activation of the new version without any loss of performance after the switch.
- Docker-based setup on Microsoft Azure:
- The application runs in a specialized Docker container setup on Microsoft Azure, which starts, prepares, preheats and activates the entire application.
- This simplifies deployment and ensures that the platform is optimally loaded and cached after each deployment.
- Integration with Laravel and dynamic cache management:
- Varnish Cache has been configured with Laravel so that by using special cache tags, content that is used on multiple pages can be specifically deleted from the cache.
- This keeps the pages up-to-date and changes are efficiently displayed on all affected pages.
- Edge Side Includes (ESI) for fragmented caching:
- ESI blocks allow individual, repeating page elements to be cached independently of the rest of the content, increasing caching flexibility and efficiency.
- This ensures that static content remains in the cache for longer, while dynamic content remains up-to-date and synchronized.
- Fallback mechanisms for rate limiting:
- In a few cases where legitimate customers encounter rate limiting, special fallback solutions have been implemented to recognize these cases and provide alternative access.
- This protects the customer experience even with increased usage.
- GraphQL API Caching:
- API accesses via GraphQL are also specially configured so that certain frequently used queries are cached.
- This API caching strategy improves performance for external applications and reduces the load on the server.