Now that DotNetNuke 6.x has been out for a while and with the recent release of DotNetNuke 6.0.1 while I was on vacation I thought I'd take the time to write a must requested blog post regarding my thoughts on the DotNetNuke 6.x platform and performance. Keep in mind, these points are my own personal opinion and should be considered that only, so without further delay, I'll answer the most common questions that I get.
Is DotNetNuke 6.x "Faster" than 5.x?
We all remember the transition from 4.x to 5.x where there was a noticeable performance loss between the versions, and I know this was a big fear for people with 6.x. Well I have to say that I can finally put a solid answer to this now that I have had time to do my regular performance validation tests on 6.x.
Yes, DNN 6.x, according the the process that I am using is overall faster and has a bit less impact on the server. It isn't a dramatic difference, but 5-20% depending the specific test scenarios when looking at server load. I see this as a great achievement that goes along with all of the other great things that have came out with DNN 6.x.
From a user perspective though I think that the improvement is even more so, in a much more "informal" process where I have been polling administrators on the "effective performance" of the site, or how long it takes them to complete day-to-day tasks. The results were impressive, with every person agreeing that there was a "remarkable reduction" in the amount of time spent on daily tasks. In my book that plus the overall performance gain makes for a bunch of happy site administrators!
How Should I Configure DNN 6.x for Best Performance?
About two years ago I created my "DotNetNuke Performance Best Practices Whitepaper" that covers all of my recommended configurations for DotNetNuke to optimize the application for the specific hosting environment that will be used. I constantly get questions asking for updated documents due to all of the recent releases. At this point in time I don't have any major updates to the document and I'm seeing success will all existing recommendations.
I'm working through a set of additional recommendations around the new features that can be used/disabled as part of the 6.x release but I do not yet have any hard evidence that shows any changes to overall site performance. As soon as I do though I'll be sure to update the whitepaper as well as the blog.
Share Your Experience
Just like after any other major release I'm always interested in getting the opinions of the rest of the DotNetNuke community. So please let me know your performance experience with DNN 6.x!
This post has been cross posted from my personal blog.