Resource Usage in DirectAdmin
Summary
This guide explains how to view and understand Resource Usage inside DirectAdmin. This section shows real‑time and historical usage of CPU, RAM, I/O, entry processes, and faults. It helps diagnose performance issues, slow websites, and hosting limits being reached.
Overview
Resource Usage helps you:
- Identify CPU or memory bottlenecks
- Detect high I/O usage
- See if your site is hitting limits
- Diagnose 503/508 errors
- Understand performance spikes
- Monitor usage over time
It is essential for troubleshooting slow or unstable websites.
Requirements
- DirectAdmin user-level access
- CloudLinux or similar resource tracking enabled
- A domain hosted on the server
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Access Resource Usage
- Log in to DirectAdmin
- Go to Extra Features → Resource Usage
- The dashboard will load with your current status
You will see:
- CPU usage
- Memory usage
- I/O usage
- Entry processes
- Faults (errors)
2. Check Current Usage
The “Current Usage” tab shows real-time metrics:
- CPU %
- Memory (MB)
- I/O (KB/s)
- Number of processes
- Number of active connections
If everything is normal, you will see:
“Your site had no issues in the past 24 hours.”
3. View Usage History
Click “Details” or “Usage History” to see:
- CPU usage over time
- Memory usage over time
- I/O usage over time
- Entry process spikes
- Faults (when limits were hit)
Graphs help identify patterns such as:
- Traffic spikes
- Plugin issues
- Cron job activity
- Attack attempts
4. Understand Limits
Common limits include:
- CPU limit
- Memory limit
- I/O limit
- Entry processes (EP)
- Number of processes (NPROC)
If your site hits a limit, it may slow down or show errors.
5. Faults (Very Important)
Faults occur when your site hits a resource limit.
Examples:
- CPU limit reached
- Memory limit reached
- I/O limit reached
- EP limit reached
Faults often cause:
- 503 Service Unavailable
- 508 Resource Limit Reached
- Slow loading pages
- Random downtime
6. Identify What Caused the Spike
Common causes include:
- WordPress plugins
- WooCommerce traffic
- Bots or attacks
- Backup processes
- Cron jobs
- Large imports/exports
- PHP errors
Use the timestamps to match faults with logs in:
- Site Summary & Logs
- cPGuard Security
- Web Application Firewall
7. Optimize Your Website
If you see high usage:
- Enable caching (AccelerateWP, LSCache, etc.)
- Remove heavy plugins
- Optimize images
- Reduce external scripts
- Enable Redis (if available)
- Update PHP to a faster version (8.1 or 8.2)
8. When to Contact Your Provider
If usage is consistently high:
- You may need more resources
- Your site may be under attack
- A plugin may be malfunctioning
- Your account may need upgrading
Troubleshooting
High CPU Usage
- Heavy plugins
- Bots crawling your site
- Slow PHP scripts
- WooCommerce traffic
High Memory Usage
- Too many PHP workers
- Large WordPress themes
- Plugins with memory leaks
High I/O Usage
- Backup processes
- Large file operations
- Database-heavy plugins
Entry Processes Maxed Out
- Too many simultaneous visitors
- Slow PHP execution
- Missing caching layer
Frequent Faults
- Your site is hitting limits
- Check logs for errors
- Optimize or upgrade resources
Security Notes
- High usage may indicate attacks
- Check cPGuard and firewall logs
- Use caching to reduce load
- Keep CMS and plugins updated
Related Articles
- [Site Summary & Logs](ca://s?q=Site_Summary_and_Logs)
- [AccelerateWP](ca://s?q=AccelerateWP)
- [cPGuard Security](ca://s?q=cPGuard_Security)
- [Select PHP Version](ca://s?q=Select_PHP_Version)
- [Web Application Firewall](ca://s?q=Web_App_Firewall)