PrestaShop Performance: A Guide to Optimising Your N0C Hosting

Introduction

The performance of a PrestaShop online shop does not depend solely on your hosting resources, but above all on how finely it is tuned. An optimised site ensures a smooth browsing experience for your customers and exemplary stability during sales peaks.

With technologies such as LiteSpeed, OPCache and Memcached – which are already included in your N0C hosting package – you have everything you need to boost your online shop’s performance. Find out how to configure these tools and optimise your database to maximise your page load times.

Note : The Glossary contains explanations on multiple topics and can be consulted to clarify certain terms.

Prerequisites

To complete these steps more quickly, we recommend that you set up your working environment by opening the following tools in separate tabs in your web browser:

• N0C Manager. Log in to your management interface at https://mg.n0c.com/.
• phpMyAdmin. Open the tool in a new tab via N0C -> Databases -> phpMyAdmin.
• PrestaShop Dashboard. Access your admin panel (wp-admin) using the login button in N0C -> CMS/Applications -> N0C CMS -> Admin Login.

Before You Begin: Backing Up

Before making any changes to your website, it is essential to create a full backup. Although it is possible to do this via the command line (using mysqldump for the database and tar for the files), there are much simpler methods available via the N0C interface:

• Export the database. Go to the phpMyAdmin tab that you opened earlier, select your database and use the Export function.
• Back up the files. In N0C’s File Manager, right-click on the folder containing your website and click on Create archive.

Once these two elements are secure, you can carry out the optimisations with peace of mind.

Recommended Optimisations

In this article, we will look at the different steps you can take to speed up your PrestaShop site:

• Update PrestaShop, the modules and PHP.
• Enable OPcache.
• Install the LiteSpeed Cache plugin.
• Configure the LiteSpeed Cache (LSCache) plugin.
• Enable Memcached for object caching.
• Check and convert all MariaDB tables to InnoDB.
• Clean up statistical data and large tables.
• Optimise the database.
• Set up a CDN.
• Minimise static files and optimise rendering.

Here is how to implement each of these optimisations.

Please note. Making all the changes at once may, should a problem arise, make it difficult – or even impossible – to identify which of the optimisations caused any undesirable effects. For this reason, we recommend testing the website after each step.

Update PrestaShop, Modules and PHP

Keeping your environment up to date is the primary driver of performance, but also the most critical factor for your shop’s security. For example, upgrading from PHP 7.4 to PHP 8.3 or 8.4 can result in a speed improvement of between 20 and 40 %. In e-shopping, every millisecond saved reduces the bounce rate and boosts conversion rates.

However, a PrestaShop shop is a complex ecosystem. Before changing your PHP version in your N0C interface, it is essential to check that your theme and all your modules are compatible with the target version.

Where can I carry out these updates?

• PrestaShop (core). Use the PrestaShop module “Update Assistant“. Always ensure you carry out a full backup before starting the process.
• Modules. Go to Module Manager -> Updates. An out-of-date module can not only slow down your site, but also cause 500 errors when upgrading the PHP version.
• PHP version. Log in to your N0C -> Languages -> PHP interface. There, you can select the latest version supported by your installation.

Useful resource. Please refer to the official PrestaShop/PHP compatibility documentation to avoid any unpleasant surprises. If you are using an older version of PrestaShop (e.g. 1.7.6), do not attempt to upgrade to PHP 8.1 without first updating the CMS.

Enable OPcache

Enabling OPcache significantly improves your website’s responsiveness by storing pre-compiled PHP scripts in the server’s memory, thereby avoiding the need to reload them upon each visit. This is an essential step in reducing the CPU load on your hosting account.

You can enable it directly from the N0C -> Languages -> PHP menu. In the list of extensions, simply tick the OPCACHE box, then do not forget to click the Save button at the bottom of the page to confirm the change.

Install the LiteSpeed Cache Plugin

On N0C hosting plans, there are two ways to set up this essential performance engine (please refer to the article How to Configure Litespeed Cache With Your CMS if necessary).

Method 1: Automatic Installation (Recommended)

We have integrated a quick installation tool directly into your control panel:

1. Log in to your N0C -> CMS/Applications -> N0C CMS interface.
2. Find your shop in the list.
3. In the LSCache column, click Install.

Important note. If installation via N0C CMS fails or causes your shop to display incorrectly, simply delete the module folder via the file manager and use the manual method described below. “Beta” or “Release Candidate” versions of PrestaShop often require the very latest development version of the module.

Method 2: Manual Installation (in the Event of Incompatibility)

If you are using a very recent version of PrestaShop (such as version 9+) or a much older version, the automatic installer may encounter a compatibility issue.

In this case, or if you receive an error after installation, we recommend that you manually install the most suitable version:

1. Go to the official Releases page for the LiteSpeed module for PrestaShop on GitHub.
2. Download the .zip file corresponding to the version compatible with your shop (check the release notes to verify PHP and PrestaShop support).
3. In your PrestaShop back office, go to Modules -> Module Manager, click on Upload a module and drag and drop your ZIP file there.
4. Once the upload is complete, search for “LiteSpeed Cache” in your list of modules.
5. Click the Install button (or Activate if PrestaShop has already pre-installed it).
6. A confirmation message should appear in the top right-hand corner of your screen.

Quick check. Once installed, you should see a new LiteSpeed Cache tab appear in the sidebar of your PrestaShop Advanced Settings menu. If you cannot see it, try refreshing the page or clearing your browser’s cache.

Configure LiteSpeed Cache Plugin (LSCache)

Unlike the WordPress version, the LiteSpeed module for PrestaShop does not offer one-click “Presets”. The default configuration is generally sound, but the dynamic nature of e-commerce requires manual validation to ensure that your customers always see the correct information (prices, stock levels, shopping baskets, etc.).

In your PrestaShop menu, go to Advanced Parameters -> LiteSpeed Cache -> Configuration. Here are the key points to review with your webmaster.

Basic Settings

• Enable LiteSpeed Cache. Make sure this option is set to Yes. This is the main switch for the engine.
• Separate Cache Copy per Customer Group. This option is essential if you display different prices for different customer groups (e.g. B2B vs B2C). If enabled, it creates a separate cache version for each group.
• Enable Guest Mode. Allows you to serve an ultra-fast version to new visitors. Test this depending on the complexity of your theme.

Data Freshness Management (Purge)

The cache must be flushed intelligently to avoid showing a product as “In stock” when it has just sold out. Check the following options:

• Flush Product and Categories When Order Placed. Essential if you manage limited stock. This forces the lists to be updated as soon as a sale is completed.
• Flush Home Page When Order Placed. Enable this if your home page displays sections such as “Best Sellers” or real-time stock levels.

Custom Rules and Debugging

• User-Defined Cache Rules. This section allows you to manually exclude certain URLs from the cache. This is where you should take action if a specific page (for example, a bespoke product configurator) is behaving abnormally.
• Developer Testing. You can enter your IP address here to bypass the cache. Please note: this means you will not see what your customers see. It is a powerful diagnostic tool, but do not forget to remove your IP address once your tests are complete to verify the actual final display as seen by your visitors.

Note on compatibility. The PrestaShop ecosystem is evolving rapidly. Many of these advanced options are only available in recent versions of PrestaShop (1.7.8, 8.x, 9.x) and the LiteSpeed module. If your interface seems more limited, it is probably time to plan an update to your extensions.

Enable Memcached for Object Caching

The Memcached object cache significantly reduces the workload on the database by storing the results of frequently executed queries in memory. To take advantage of this, you need to enable and configure it in three places:

1. In N0C. Go to Performance -> Memcached and enable it. Make a note of the path and port displayed.
2. In N0C -> Languages -> PHP. Tick the MEMCACHED (recommended) or MEMCACHE extension, then click Save at the bottom of the page.
3. In PrestaShop. In the side menu, go to Advanced parameters -> Performance. At the bottom of the page, enable the “Use cache” option and:
   • select CacheMemcached if you selected MEMCACHED in N0C -> Languages -> PHP; or
   • select CacheMemcache if you selected MEMCACHE in N0C -> Languages -> PHP.
4. Then click on Add a server and enter the details provided by N0C:
   • IP address. Paste the path of the socket (e.g. /home/user/.memcached/memcached.sock).
   • Port. Enter 0 (required when using a socket).
   • Weight. Enter 1 (or the desired priority).
5. Click Test server then Add server if the test was successful.

Important note. In some older versions of PrestaShop, the interface sometimes refuses to accept a socket path or port 0, even though the system is fully functional. In this specific case, a developer must manually inject the configuration into the configuration files or the database.

For further details, please refer to the documentation on object caching in PrestaShop (see the article How to Enable Memcached on PrestaShop with LiteSpeed Cache).

Check and Convert all MariaDB Tables to InnoDB

InnoDB is the table engine recommended by PrestaShop. Unlike the older MyISAM engine, which “freezes” an entire table when a change is made (Table Lock), InnoDB only locks the row in question. This allows multiple customers to place orders at the same time without slowing down the database, which is a crucial advantage during your promotional campaigns.

How Can I Check and Convert My Tables?

As PrestaShop does not provide a built-in tool for this conversion, we recommend using phpMyAdmin, which can be accessed directly from your N0C interface.

1. Identify the MyISAM tables. In phpMyAdmin, select your database. In the list of tables, look at the Type (or Engine) column. If you see “MyISAM“, a conversion is required.

2. The simple method (interface):
   • Click on the name of the table you wish to convert.
   • Click on the Operations tab.
   • Under Options for this table, change the storage engine to InnoDB.
   • Click the Execute button.

3. The advanced method (SQL query). If you have a large number of tables, you can click on the SQL tab and run a command for each relevant table: ALTER TABLE ps_table_name ENGINE=InnoDB;

This is a crucial step in making your database more robust, faster and better protected against integrity errors.

Please note. Before carrying out any operations on the database, ensure you have performed the full backup mentioned at the start of this article. Converting a table in a very large database may take a few minutes, during which time the website may run slowly.

Cleaning Statistical Data and Large Tables

This is a well-known, chronic problem within the PrestaShop ecosystem: by default, the software logs a phenomenal amount of data on visits, logins and searches. On a high-traffic shop, these tables (such as ps_guest, ps_connections or ps_log) can quickly reach millions of rows. This accumulation eventually clogs up the database, slows down backups and, above all, “kills” the shop’s performance.

How Do I Clear the Logs and Connection Records?

There is no one-size-fits-all rule, as it depends on how long you need to keep a history. Here are the most common methods for handling these tables:

• The radical method (TRUNCATE). Using a tool such as phpMyAdmin, you can completely clear the tables (TRUNCATE TABLE ps_connections;). This is instantaneous and frees up a considerable amount of space, but you lose the history of PrestaShop’s native statistics.
• The selective method. If you wish to keep a recent history, you can run an SQL query to retain, for example, only the last 250,000 entries. This allows you to keep track of recent activity whilst eliminating “dead weight”.
• The automated method. There are excellent modules (both free and paid) dedicated to database cleaning which carry out these tasks regularly via a cron job to prevent the problem from recurring.

Tip. If you are already using an external tool such as Google Analytics or Matomo for your statistics, you can safely empty the ps_connections and ps_guest tables: they are redundant and unnecessarily slow down your N0C server.

The Specific Case of Faceted Navigation (ps_statssearch)

Unlike connection logs, the table associated with the faceted navigation module (Faceted Search) does not require any manual intervention in the database. If you notice that search or filtering performance is deteriorating:

1. Go to the configuration settings for the Faceted Search module.
2. Use the built-in options to Re-index prices and Rebuild the full index.
3. This will clear out obsolete data and optimise the search tables without posing any risk to your catalogue.

Optimising the Database

Once the tables have been converted to InnoDB and unnecessary data have been removed, your database is already in much better shape. However, for shops with very high traffic or those with a catalogue of tens of thousands of products, PrestaShop’s default settings may reach their limits.

Fine-tuning a database is a complex specialism that goes beyond the skills of a generalist webmaster. It is the domain of the database administrator (DBA). If your site is still running slowly despite all the previous optimisations, here are the advanced measures an expert can implement:

• Custom indexing. Adding custom SQL indexes to the columns most frequently accessed by your specific modules (in addition to PrestaShop’s native indexes).
• Analysis of slow queries. Identifying and rewriting poorly optimised SQL queries that are overloading your hosting server’s processor.
• Standardising collations. Ensuring that all tables and columns use a consistent encoding (e.g. utf8mb4_unicode_520_ci) to avoid additional conversion overheads during joins.
• Configuration audit. Using diagnostic tools such as MySQLTuner to adjust MariaDB’s system variables according to your online shop’s actual usage.

Although these measures require specialist expertise, they often represent the final step in transforming a “fast” shop into a platform capable of handling extreme loads smoothly.

Set up a CDN

Using a CDN (Content Delivery Network) is one of the most effective ways to speed up the loading of your shop, regardless of where your customers are located. A CDN acts as a network of relay servers that store a copy of your static files (images, CSS and JS) to serve them from the location closest to the user. This not only reduces latency but also the resource usage of your N0C hosting.

Recommended Solution: Cloudflare

For PrestaShop, Cloudflare is the most common and robust option. Although it is not directly “linked” to the PrestaShop code, it operates at the DNS level to provide:

• Intelligent caching of static resources.
• DDoS protection, which is essential for preventing outages during periods of high traffic.
• Country-based blocking (geofencing) to block malicious countries or IP addresses before they even reach your server.

Other Alternatives

Depending on your specific needs or the size of your infrastructure, there are other professional solutions available on the market:

• Bunny.net (formerly BunnyCDN). An European alternative valued for its simplicity and very low costs.
• Amazon CloudFront (AWS). Very powerful for large image catalogues.
• Akamai or QUIC.cloud. High-end options or those specific to certain data transport protocols.

Each solution has its advantages, but for the majority of PrestaShop shops on N0C, Cloudflare offers the best balance of simplicity and performance.

Minimise Static Files and Optimise Rendering

Reducing file sizes and optimising the rendering engine are the two key factors in the speed your customers perceive. To configure these settings, go to the Advanced Parameters -> Performance menu.

1. Optimisation of the Rendering Engine (Smarty)

The Smarty engine generates your shop’s pages. An incorrect setting here can significantly slow down the server:

• Template compilation. Select the option “Recompile template files if they have been updated”. This is the ideal setting for a live site: your shop remains fast, but automatically detects if you modify a file or install a module.
• Cache. Make sure the toggle is set to Yes.

2. Enable CCC Mode (Concatenation, Compression and Caching)

Just below that, in the CCC section, enable the options for CSS, JavaScript and Apache.

The aim: to merge dozens of small files into a single one to reduce the number of HTTP requests. The fewer times the browser has to go back and forth to the N0C server, the faster the page loads.

3. Image Management (WebP, AVIF and Compression)

Images are often the main cause of slow loading times in e-commerce. To optimise them on PrestaShop 9+:

• Go to the Design -> Image Settings menu (or Design in earlier versions).
• Use AVIF or WebP. Enable this option. The AVIF and WebP formats offer the same visual quality as JPEG whilst being up to 30 % to 50 % smaller in file size.
• Image quality. Set the compression to around 80. This is the perfect balance for keeping product images sharp without slowing down loading times.

4. Lazy Load

Check your theme’s settings (often found in the catalogue settings) to see if Lazy Loading is enabled. This technique delays the loading of images at the bottom of the page until the user scrolls down. It is essential for achieving a good score in the Google PageSpeed test.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you have transformed your PrestaShop installation into an optimised, stable platform capable of handling significant traffic spikes. From activating LiteSpeed on your N0C hosting to fine-tuning Memcached and CCC mode, every adjustment helps to provide your visitors with an instant browsing experience.

Optimisation is not a one-off task, but a good habit:

• Keep your PHP version and modules up to date.
• Regularly monitor the size of your statistics tables.
• Make the most of the powerful native tools in your N0C infrastructure to maintain peak performance.

A fast online shop does not just please Google’s algorithms; it reassures your customers and directly boosts your conversion rate.