Techniques To Improve Application Performance

Developing Software is a piece of art. Discovering best design pattern and techniques for suitable application helps to maintain the software in good state.

There are common performance issues, which most of the User facing in Web Application and gives bad experience to end user.

Some of the common issues...

• Webpage takes more time to load
• Gateway Timeout due to high response time 
• Unnecessary Buffering
• Network Spike in website over period of time

Ways to improve performance

1. Suitable design architecture
2. Proper database modeling and usage
3. Proper code implementation

As mentioned above every software application follows some design pattern based on business needs and Database Modeling to persist the data for future use. Planning the best architecture with suitable Database helps the programmer to achieve best efficient state in Software development.

1. Architectural Design

Generally architectural design is blueprint for any platform.

Architectural plan describe the end to end relationship between varies model involved in Software development. Also it contains the Business strategy and policies need to follow in each environment.

some of the famous design architecture...

Cache Design

Caching helps to improve the performance of the system, when application using certain data very frequently.

Caching needs to be implemented in require application. It is the small memory helps to access the frequent data in very fast manner, at the same time increasing the cache size may degrade the performance.

Always ensure the proper cache update/invalidate is happening periodically.

CQRS Design

CQRS stands for Command and Query Responsibility Segregation.

This pattern segregate the read and write operation with different micro-services which improve the high scalability and security.

Provider can allocate the resources based on business needs that increase the system performance.

Programmer no need to worry about DB Transactional dependency between read and write operations.

Asynchronous Design

Asynchronous methods is more helpful when user no need to wait for certain dependent operations, which can be perform in later stage. Due to this user blocked thread will be unblocked for another user.

In the above diagram user gets the acknowledgement once the request reached Kafka broker and thread got closed. When Kafka consumer ready to accept the payload that time remaining work will complete and require update will reflect in the user dashboard.

This approach increases system throughput, because each request doesn't need more thread time.

Asynchronous method definitely makes difference during peak traffic.

Batch Processing

Batch processing is a kind of scheduler which can process high volume of data in repetitive manner.

The above diagram explain the typical batch processing flow. Each job can have multiple steps, which can read, process and write the result as per the business requirement.

This approach eliminate or minimise the user interaction, so that user no need to active at all time. It is mostly helpful in daily maintenance work, which can perform during off-business hours.

Batch processing reduce the time consuming multi task in real time and improve the performance in productivity.

2. Database Modeling and Usage

Database modeling plays a vital role next to the Software Architecture in system performance.

A optimised data model helps to eliminate unnecessary redundant data and create simplified logical relationship between database objects.

Some of the best practices...

• Programmer can avoid unnecessary indexes.
• Store Procedures are much better for complex DB operations.
• Select only the require columns instead of all.
• Try to use suitable join instead of default cross join.
• Use query analysis option to optimise the complex queries.

3. Coding Techniques

Best coding practice always increase system efficiency and productivity. Also it ensure the product quality.

(Please note that below points mostly related to Java language)

some of the techniques to improve performance...

Adhere best practices

• Use primitive types if possible.
• Always reuse bean/object instead of creating new one.
• Avoid unnecessary logging and incorrect level.
• Inject only the require dependency.

Use Pagination

Pagination is more helpful when try to fetch huge records in a portal.

• It fetch only the require datasets instead of large one.
• It reduce the Database load which improves the DB performance.
• Implementing Frontend service pagination along with backend service gives better user experience.

Handling of DB Transactional

Spring Transactional helps to handle the DB connection in very effective manner. Use the same Transactional in wrong place may leads to serious performance issue.

some of the best practices...

• Try to avoid class level or parent level declaration.
• Try to use in Data Access Object(DAO) layer as much as possible.
• Avoid data lock scenario (Read and write may happen in same scope).

Above mentioned practices may or may not suitable for certain business needs. As a developer we always make sure the best techniques based on the requirement to build high performance software.