Moodle Runtime Performance Benchmark

This project compares the performance of different PHP runtimes and web servers running Moodle in a Docker environment. We conducted benchmark tests to measure response times and request throughput under various load conditions.

Testing Environment

• PHP Version: 8.2
• Base Images: Official Docker images for each runtime
• Container Setup:
  • Runtime Container (Apache/Nginx/FrankenPHP)
  • MySQL Container
  • K6 Container for load testing

Tested Runtimes

• Apache + mod_PHP
• Apache + PHP-FPM
• Nginx + PHP-FPM
• Nginx Unit
• FrankenPHP

Note: Moodle does not officially support Nginx Unit & FrankenPHP. The setup was modified to force Moodle to run on these runtimes.

Testing Methodology

Application

• Fresh Moodle installation
• No additional plugins
• Moodle default configuration

Load Testing Configuration

• Tool: K6
• Test Scenarios:
  • 10 concurrent users
  • 100 concurrent users
  • 1000 concurrent users
• Duration: 30 seconds per test

Metrics Measured

• Average Response Time (ms)
• Requests per Second

Performance Results

Runtime	10 Virtual Users		100 Virtual Users		1000 Virtual Users
	Avg Resp (ms)	Req/Sec	Avg Resp (ms)	Req/Sec	Avg Resp (ms)	Req/Sec
Apache + mod_PHP	122.89	81.13	1079.36	91.72	10393.32	56.49
Apache + PHP-FPM	127.18	78.36	1169.55	83.72	12940.65	52.26
Nginx + PHP-FPM	167.54	59.51	1203.49	81.38	10923.29	77.00
Nginx Unit	180.78	55.10	2231.72	43.27	15843.35	50.15
FrankenPHP	186.38	53.39	1711.77	57.19	13301.35	62.33

Key Findings

• Apache setups (both mod_PHP and PHP-FPM) showed consistent performance, especially at lower concurrency levels
• Nginx + PHP-FPM maintained good stability and throughput across different loads
• Traditional server setups (Apache and Nginx with PHP-FPM) performed reliably for running Moodle in Docker

Disclaimer

Note that these results are specific to our testing environment and might perform differently in other setups. We encourage you to test these configurations in your own environment to find what works best for your needs.

There may be areas we missed or aspects that could be improved. We welcome any feedback and discussion!