ISPadmin 5 under the hood
History
The history of the ISPadmin system dates back to 2003. The latest fourth generation of the ISPadmin system has been on the market since 2014 and it is time to move towards a new generation based on the latest technologies and the experience of our team. ISPadmin version 4 was built on Debian Linux 7, PHP 5.3 and MySQL 5.5. All of these components are now outdated and there are their newer versions that offer higher performance, better functionality and more security. For example, all Debian Linux updates were terminated in May 2018 and no security updates are available any longer. The version of PHP used and other components have also been obsolete. For this reason, it was necessary to proceed with a relatively radical solution and to start a new operating system, a new database, a new version of PHP and framework. It was also imperative to rewrite a considerable part of the ISPadmin code. And we succeeded after a few months of hard work. ?
Basic components and innovations in ISPadmin
OS Debian Linux
ISPadmin 5 is built on Debian Linux 9 (Stretch), which is the latest available stable operating system version. Updates are guaranteed up to 2022 (see https://wiki.debian.org/DebianReleases). Debian Linux 9 provides a stable, powerful and secure system-wide platform.
PHP 7.2
ISPadmin 4 used PHP 5.3, which has been quite outdated and has limited the further development of ISPadmin because it has not been possible to use the latest versions of the Nette framework and other web components. Using PHP version 7 has been prevented by outdated operating system and code parts that have not yet been rewritten into the Nette framework and thus has not supported PHP 7. Moreover, the source code of PHP 5.3 and the newly used PHP 7.2 have not been incompatible, so it has been necessary to make changes at once. It was a vicious circle. So first the OS has been updated to Debian 9, a PHP updated to 7.2, and also the source code has been edited considerably. Thanks to these modifications, ISPadmin 5 is built on the new OS and PHP version 7.2, which is much faster than PHP 5.3 used in ISPadmin 4. The memory requirements are now at least 30% lower than with PHP 5.3. On top of it, the memory leaks, which may make the system run of memory, no longer appear. Performance differences and web responses between ISPadmin 4 and ISPadmin 5 are therefore huge and ISPadmin 5 is much faster.
(see Performance Of PHP 5.3 To PHP 7.2)
MySQL 5.7
We have also deployed MySQL version 5.7 in ISPadmin 5, which provides high performance for database operations. The database structure and index settings have been significantly optimized with the deployment of the new version of MySQL. These are particularly important for fast search and data access. The database now uses the InnoDB table format instead of the original MyISAM. InnoDB, combined with the correct settings and the memory size used, provides multiple higher performance than the MySQL database used in ISPadmin 4.
Framework Nette
ISPadmin 5 has already been completely rewritten into the Nette framework. This framework provides support for various web technologies. It guarantees the entire system security and separates the powerful part of the code from the graphic design. As a result, the graphic design is not an integral part of the code and can be edited easily. The Nette Framework also provides excellent testing, debugging and code management capabilities. Thanks to that, it is possible to develop a safer and higher-quality system that also makes work easier for developers.
Optimization
Many optimizations have been made in ISPadmin 5. They are not visible at first sight because they are hidden deep in the core of the system. All these optimizations contribute to a smoother system running, more security and faster network management and customer service.
With all these changes, ISPadmin 5 has taken a big step forward and provides a stable platform for further development.