Using Memcached and Varnish to Speed Up Your Linux Web App from Pluralsight

Caching is an effective way to speed up and scale your website or web application with minimal code changes. This course will teach you how to use two common caching tools so you can vastly increase speed and capacity in minutes.

Does your code make users wait for a slow process to complete, or overload your server? Optimizing for performance can be very difficult and result in code that you can't maintain. Good caching allows you to avoid that most of the time and get vastly better speed and scalability with little change to your code. It can also be applied to any Linux-based web application regardless of the language and database. In this course, Using Memcached and Varnish to Speed Up Your Linux Web App, you're going to see how caching tools can quickly make your website faster and more scalable. First, you'll learn how to get started quickly with Memcached and Varnish and learn how to tune them for the best performance in each use case. Next, you'll discover how to use advanced features that increase your uptime. Finally, you'll explore how to mix cached content and dynamic content with Varnish. By the end of this course, you'll know how to resolve the biggest performance pain points in your application using caching tools.

What's inside

Syllabus

Course Overview

Using Memcached and Varnish to Speed up Your Linux Web App

Tuning Memcached and Advanced Use

Caching Full Pages with Varnish

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Explores caching concepts that are core to developing efficient Linux web applications

Provides practical guidance on implementing Memcached and Varnish for enhanced performance

Led by an experienced instructor, Richard Garand, known for his expertise in web performance optimization

Covers advanced caching techniques for increased uptime and scalability

Suitable for developers and system administrators working on Linux-based web applications

Assumes some prior knowledge of web development and caching concepts

Reviews summary

Boost linux web app speed with caching

According to students, this course is a game-changer for learning how to achieve significant speed improvements in Linux web applications using Memcached and Varnish. Learners frequently highlight the instructor's ability to provide clear explanations of complex caching concepts and the value of hands-on demos that make the material easy to follow and immediately applicable. While many found the content highly practical and well-structured, some noted that the pacing can be fast and that some prior experience with Linux and web servers is beneficial, making it potentially challenging for absolute beginners. A few older reviews mentioned slightly outdated examples, but recent feedback indicates its continued relevance as an excellent foundation for performance optimization.

Offers a solid foundation, but some learners desire more advanced topics.

"Good foundational course on caching... I wish there were more advanced scenarios or troubleshooting tips for production environments."

"I expected more in-depth coverage on integration with specific frameworks or more complex architectural patterns."

"It provides a solid understanding of both Memcached and Varnish, serving as a strong base for further learning."

Instructor excels at simplifying complex caching concepts effectively.

"The instructor explains complex concepts like Memcached and Varnish with such clarity."

"I particularly appreciated the focus on *why* these tools work and *how* to tune them for maximum effect."

"The explanations are concise, and the hands-on demos are easy to replicate and understand."

Provides immediately applicable skills for real-world performance improvements.

"I immediately applied these techniques to my project, seeing significant speed improvements."

"My team was struggling with slow load times, and this course provided immediate, actionable solutions."

"I found the practical examples very useful, helping me apply the concepts right away."

Some setup challenges and minor concerns about outdated examples were noted.

"The setup instructions were difficult to follow and I spent more time debugging my environment than learning."

"While the concepts are important, I felt some of the examples were slightly outdated, especially regarding specific software versions."

"I had to put in extra effort to adapt some of the older examples to more current software versions."

Course pacing can be fast, making it better suited for those with some prior experience.

"I found myself pausing a lot to catch up, especially with the Varnish configurations."

"Not entirely for beginners, despite what I hoped; you might need some prior experience with Linux command line."

"It felt a bit too 'getting started' for my intermediate level, but I can see its value for true beginners in this area."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Using Memcached and Varnish to Speed Up Your Linux Web App with these activities:

Review caching concepts

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Reinforce prior understanding of key concepts before embarking on coursework.

Browse courses on Caching

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Review the purpose and benefits of caching.
Identify and describe different types of caching.
Explore the concept of cache invalidation.

Read 'High Performance Web Sites' by Steve Souders

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Gain foundational knowledge and best practices from an industry expert.

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Read the book and take notes on key caching concepts.
Identify and summarize the author's recommendations for caching.
Apply the book's principles to your own caching projects.

Discuss caching best practices with peers

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Exchange ideas and experiences with peers, promoting deeper understanding.

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Find a study group or online forum for discussing caching.
Participate in discussions and share knowledge.
Collaborate on caching solutions and strategies.

One other activity

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Show all four activities

Create a technical article on caching

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Solidify knowledge by explaining caching concepts in a structured manner.

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Research and gather information on caching.
Organize and outline the article's content.
Write the article, explaining caching principles clearly and concisely.
Review and revise the article.

Career center

Learners who complete Using Memcached and Varnish to Speed Up Your Linux Web App will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Web Developer

A Web Developer may use this course to learn how to use caching tools to quickly make their website faster and more scalable. This course can help teach a Web Developer how to avoid slow processes and overloaded servers, which can be very important for a fast and efficient website.

See salaries and explore the career path for Web Developer

Webmaster

A Webmaster may use this course to learn how to use caching tools to quickly make their website faster and more scalable. This course can help teach a Webmaster how to avoid slow processes and overloaded servers, which can be very important for a fast and efficient website.

See salaries and explore the career path for Webmaster

Application Developer

An Application Developer may use this course to learn how to use caching tools to quickly make their website faster and more scalable. This course can help teach an Application Developer how to avoid slow processes and overloaded servers, which can be very important for a fast and efficient website.

See salaries and explore the career path for Application Developer

Back-End Developer

A Back End Developer may use this course to learn how to use caching tools to quickly make their website faster and more scalable. This course can help teach a Back End Developer how to avoid slow processes and overloaded servers, which can be very important for a fast and efficient website.

See salaries and explore the career path for Back-End Developer

Front-End Developer

A Front End Developer may use this course to learn how to use caching tools to quickly make their website faster and more scalable. This course can help teach a Front End Developer how to avoid slow processes and overloaded servers, which can be very important for a fast and efficient website.

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Full Stack Engineer

A Full Stack Engineer may use this course to learn how to use caching tools to quickly make their website faster and more scalable. This course can help teach a Full Stack Engineer how to avoid slow processes and overloaded servers, which can be very important for a fast and efficient website.

See salaries and explore the career path for Full Stack Engineer

Software Architect

A Software Architect may use this course to learn how to use caching tools to quickly make their website faster and more scalable. This course can help teach a Software Architect how to avoid slow processes and overloaded servers, which can be very important for a fast and efficient website.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Architect

Technical Architect

A Technical Architect may use this course to learn how to use caching tools to quickly make their website faster and more scalable. This course can help teach a Technical Architect how to avoid slow processes and overloaded servers, which can be very important for a fast and efficient website.

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DevOps Engineer

A DevOps Engineer may use this course to learn how to use caching tools to quickly make their website faster and more scalable. This course can help teach a DevOps Engineer how to avoid slow processes and overloaded servers, which can be very important for a fast and efficient website.

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System Engineer

A System Engineer may use this course to learn how to use caching tools to quickly make their website faster and more scalable. This course can help teach a System Engineer how to avoid slow processes and overloaded servers, which can be very important for a fast and efficient website.

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Network Engineer

A Network Engineer may use this course to learn how to use caching tools to quickly make their website faster and more scalable. This course can help teach a Network Engineer how to avoid slow processes and overloaded servers, which can be very important for a fast and efficient website.

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Computer Scientist

A Computer Scientist may use this course to learn how to use caching tools to quickly make their website faster and more scalable. This course can help teach a Computer Scientist how to avoid slow processes and overloaded servers, which can be very important for a fast and efficient website.

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Data Engineer

A Data Engineer may use this course to learn how to use caching tools to quickly make their website faster and more scalable. This course can help teach a Data Engineer how to avoid slow processes and overloaded servers, which can be very important for a fast and efficient website.

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