Peter

Choosing the right server configuration and predicting operating costs for running a UNA-powered site may be important for your business strategy planning. This guide may help you choose correct hosting and plan for scale.

Please remember that this is a simplified approximation for the default UNA setup with standard modules only. The real site can have many more modules from 3rd-party developers (which can affect on-site load, space requirements, etc.) or can be focused on resource-intensive tasks that may call for a different estimation (i.e. video conversions, high-storage sites like pro-level photo sharing, etc.)

How to calculate load and choose proper hardware.

The load is very dependant on the number, purpose, functionality and quality of installed modules and the site template. Therefore it is almost impossible to predict it beforehand. But if you have a sample setup of the desired site configuration or pre-production setup on the web server, it is possible to at least predict the memory usage. 

To do it install "Profiler" module, this module shows different timings at the bottom of every page for site administrator (by default). Try to open different pages and watch for memory usage and page execution time.

Try open different pages and measure average "Memory" and "Time" values. Let's assume that it is 20Mb for memory usage and 0.5 seconds execution time. Then, if you have a web server with 4G RAM (for example) the web server is capable to handle:

4G - 1G (for system usage) / 20 Mb ~ 150 simultaneous requests.

Please note, that simultaneous requests aren't a number of online users. Users make requests to the server one time in several seconds or a dozen of seconds.

Static Site

If it is a mostly static site (without much dynamically changing content like the Messenger, Shoutbox, Rocket.Chat, etc) then one request in 30 seconds from one user is likely. In this case, the server is capable of handling the following number of online users:

30 (average seconds per one request from one user) / 0.5 (our average "Time" value) * 150 (simultaneous requests) = 9000 online users

Dynamic Site

If it is a dynamic site (with the messenger, active timeline, notifications, etc.) like most UNA sites,  1 request from one user every second on average is likely. In this case, the server is capable of handling the following number of online users:

1 (average seconds per one request from one user) / 0.5 (our average "Time" value) * 150 (simultaneous requests) = 300 online users

As you can see a dynamic site require 30x more resources than a static site.

This is a very rough calculation which considers only server memory usage, while CPU usage is not counted at all. You may have CPU-intensive usage and low memory load and vice versa. For example, video conversions may cause very high CPU usage.

How to calculate load and choose proper hardware for the database server

DB server is dependant on many factors and can not be precisely planned until the site use patterns are observed in production. Just make sire to follow these guidelines:

• Tune MySQL settings for your needs, recheck settings as your database grows and the load increases. Try this tool to check and tune your MySQL settings:  http://mysqltuner.pl/
• Installing more RAM can help a lot. Refer to the first advice to see if you need more RAM.
• Use InnoDB DB engine instead of MyISAM if you have high load.
• Store database tables on SSD disks, for the better performance you may need to tune MYSQL especially for SSD disks. (Note, that UNA Cloud servers work on SSD disks only).
• If the load is too high, you may need a server cluster for your MySQL DB. 

How to calculate database and files storage needs

Storage varies depending on number and types of installed modules. The better method is to start site and when you will have a number of users, calculate average data size in DB and on Disk and multiply this values on some number of users you need going to plan for.

In the following calculations, we are using some sample UNA setup. The site has only 9 users, all standard modules are installed and almost every user has some content (text content, photos, videos and sounds) in different modules.

Let's assume that we need to calculate future storage for 100 000 users.

DB size

• Current size: 1.5 Mb
• Number of users: 9
• Average DB space per user: 1.5 Mb / 9 ~ 0.167 Mb

Approximate DB Storage required for 100 000 users

100 000 * 0.167 Mb = 16700 Mb ~ 16 Gb

Disk storage

• Current size: 374 Mb
• Number of users: 9
• Average DB space per user: 374 Mb / 9 ~ 41Mb

Approximate Disk Storage required for 100 000 users:

100 000 * 41 Mb = 4 T

Note, that UNA supports remote storage, so you can use, say, AWS S3 storage for quick and price-efficient media storage. 

Hosting Server Costs

As a rule of thumb, dedicated servers would be more cost-effective for large sites with a predictable load. You can get a configuration with more RAM, storage and better CPUs compared to a similarly priced Cloud-based server. On the other hand, Cloud-servers can be scaled up more easily and it is possible to start with a smaller instance, scaling up as required - this approach may prove to be more cost-effective for a small to medium community site. 

Another consideration is that SSD-based servers will always cost significantly more than a HDD-based ones, so it is best to use SSD-based servers only for the web-server and the database while leveraging external storage for media files. 

For a rough estimate, let's take una.io community with a few active modules, messenger, albums and timelines enabled, but no specific focus on video sharing, file storage, etc.

40 online users / 10,000 members

$100/mo (UNA Cloud4)

$50/mo - dedicated server + $50/mo UNA Pro license

At this size only a few "online" users are present at any given time, so a basic server like UNA Cloud 4 would be sufficient. On-server storage can be used for the database, and media storage needs would be in the range of 50Gb, so the media can also be stored on site. A dedicated server with similar specifications would cost about $50. Note, that UNA Cloud comes with included UNA Pro plan, so this choice may still be preferable.

80 online users / 50,000 members

$150/mo (UNA Cloud8) + $100/mo for AWS S3

$100/mo - dedicated server with 2 disk arrays  + $50/mo UNA Pro license

At this size you may expect more online users during peak times. Still, on-server storage can be used for the database. While at higher numbers average storage uptake tends to go down, we would still recommend connecting remote storage at this scale - you may need around 300Gb, which is likely to be relatively expensive with an on-server SSD. 

A dedicated server with similar specifications would cost about $100 and may include a disk array for media storage.

150 online users / 100,000 members

$200/mo (UNA Cloud16) + $200/mo for AWS S3

$150/mo - dedicated server with 2 disk arrays (or SSD), extra RAM and upgraded CPUs  + $50/mo UNA Pro license

A community with 100K members may result in 150 online users during peak times. Database will take only about 3Gb, so it's best store it on-server. Media may take 500GB, so it is definitely best to leverage remote storage. 

A dedicated server with similar specifications would cost about $150, as it will require RAM and CPU upgrades as well as multiple disks for media storage and redundancy.

300 online users / 200,000 members

$400/mo (UNA Cloud32) + $400/mo for AWS S3

$300/mo - dedicated server +  $50/mo UNA Pro license

When you reach such stage, some of the costs "per members" can be reduced significantly. Typically remote storage pricing for higher allocation is lower and you can pre-order fixed-price servers. Usage patterns become more established and it is possible to optimise the site to meet specific requirements for best efficiency. Even with 300 online users during peak times the site is likely to operate well on UNA Cloud 32 or similar server. The database can still be stored on-server but may need to be separated soon. Media may take about 1TB, making it expensive to store media on-server's SSD even if you're using a dedicated box. 

500 online users / 500,000 members

$800/mo (UNA Cloud64) + $1,000/mo for AWS S3

$600/mo - dedicated server +  $1,000/mo for AWS S3 + $50/mo UNA Pro license

At half million members stage, you may be seeing around 500 online users. It is very important to optimise database requests, site configuration, turn off unused features and minimise clutter. UNA Team would be happy to assist with this process. 

1 Million Members

Congratulations!

Starting from this stage you'll need custom dedicated server setup (you'd likely need to make a 2-3 servers cluster).

A dedicated server will have to use remote storage, so while you'd need to further upgrade CPUs and RAM, most of the storage disks can be removed.

While cloud server can be easily scaled up to 512Gb RAM and 64 CPU without adding complexity.


Hello dear @Alexey ,

I read in this forum that Messenger can be used to offer member support.

Could you please tell me how this can be done? How do I set up Messenger to be used as a Live Chat or In-App Messaging support channel?

Will it be possible to create departments (e.g., Billing, Accounts, etc.) within our organization's profile and assign members of the organization as support agents?

Thank you!

Hi, I'd like to remove some options from the "Who Can Post" selection field in the "Create Group" form, but I can't find it in the form module nor in other modules... where should I check?

In Europe, calls for a European social network are growing louder. Recently, 75 well-known organizations from civil society, churches, trade unions, and open source technology developers (here is a complete list of all participating organizations: https://www.germanwatch.org/de/93066 ) addressed an open letter to the parties negotiating for a government in Germany, calling for a counterweight to the opaque social networks of Big Tech corporations in the US and China.

But other European countries are also increasingly demanding online platforms that are independent of corporations and that comply with European citizens' rights in the digital space.

With the UNA CMS Framework, we have exactly the right technology to fully meet the EU's legal requirements for transparent digital online media and platforms, such as the Digital Service Act, Digital Markets Act, AI Act, and GDPR. Big Tech media corporations, with their advertising-based business model, are clearly struggling here.

So, will new, small online media operators in Europe be able to displace the large social network operators? That depends...

Users are certainly annoyed by the constant irrelevant information in their feeds because the algorithm is constantly trying to improve the statistics for advertisers. However, the connection to the social media platform, based on the hope of finding relevant information about their own interests or about their friends and contacts in the same network, seems to prevail.

It therefore takes considerable persuasion to bring users from the large digital media platforms to a new, unknown platform. But I remember this video by Andrey Yasko from UNA announcing NEO, in which he characterizes various Big Tech networks with a wink and also provides the crucial information on how this can be achieved: The user must immediately understand why it makes sense to participate in a new social network. My theory goes even further. I think that once users understand that it's more meaningful and useful for them personally to participate in a new social media platform, they'll also become a multiplier for that platform, as they'll suddenly, of their own volition, try to bring their friends and contacts onto the same platform. The UNA Framework provides us with all the necessary modules and functions. As social network operators, we have to take care of the unique selling proposition and the added value for our users ourselves.

We have high hopes for the new NEO by UNA. In my opinion, a social network or media platform without an optimized, native app doesn't have a chance, even remotely, of being seen by users as an equivalent replacement for the major social networks.

Back to my headline - will we miss the opportunity?

Well, in the world of large, commercial online media platforms, there's a rule: time is money. If you don't get to market quickly enough with an innovation, you've lost because others will push you out of the market with their innovations. But what if you don't participate in the market at all?

We decided very early on not to participate in the social networking market. Therefore, we operate our social community platform not as a company but as a non-profit association. For this reason, our community platform is naturally completely unattractive to venture capitalists and external investors. On the other hand, by using open source technology and eliminating the need for constant algorithm optimization and the high costs of an expensive advertising engine, we can finance our platform independently through annual membership fees. Another advantage: Our users aren't just customers. As association members, they are co-owners of our social community platform. And we treat them as such. They are actively involved in all decisions – thanks to UNA's Polls module. But our vision for the future goes even further. We want to turn co-owners into co-creators. Design, modules, content, moderation, technology. Thanks to open source and the UNA framework, we can essentially put everything in the hands of our users, co-owners and co-creators. As the association's board, we are then primarily responsible for coordinating and overseeing the projects of our co-creators. Thus, users not only determine what benefits the platform should provide, they even will help implement them.

Our decision, as a non-profit organization operating a social community platform, not to follow the same business model as the major social networks offers us an additional advantage: time is not money.

Essentially, the offer of information in exchange for personal user data and its more or less unrestricted use to maximize profits by large corporations is countered by the offer of direct user participation in a social network that is not profit-oriented and respects users' rights regarding their personal data.

I apologize for the length of my post. But I would be very interested to hear your views on this.

Is there a chance to break the dominance of the major social networks by providing added value for users? What is the situation in your countries regarding personal data protection?

I've noticed some differences in how credits are usually set up compared to your store’s implementation.

It appears that in your UNA CMS store, you've added information about credits on the cart page. This seems like a custom addition, as it doesn’t appear to be the standard setup in UNA CMS. Could you confirm if that's the case?

Additionally, I’m curious why credits don’t appear under the "Main Seller" in the marketplace.

To make it easier for customers to purchase credits, I added an "Add Credits" button that links to the /credits-home page. However, I only discovered this page by navigating UNA CMS's store to find /credits-home and then finding the URL on my own installation.

Would you be able to provide some guidance on how to make this process more straightforward for customers?

Or, will I need to add custom solutions for this?