Evaluate website performance and hosting quality with HostingAnalyzer.it

When it comes to speed of a website and quality of hosting serviceMany people think it's enough to choose a well-known provider, rely on a recommendation, or be persuaded by an attractive advertisement. In reality, evaluating a website's performance and hosting efficiency is a complex process that requires in-depth analysis and an understanding of the technical factors that determine the user experience.

It is precisely to fill this gap that we have created HostingAnalyzer.it, a cloud-based web tool that allows you to analyze hosting, performance, and technical features Clearly and in detail. The goal is to provide webmasters, developers, and site owners with all the information they need to understand whether their hosting is truly adequate and where improvements can be made.

Why evaluating a website's performance is complex

Evaluating a website's performance and the quality of a hosting service is much more complex than it might seem at first glance. Many users, when choosing a provider, are guided by seemingly reassuring factors: the most competitive price, brand popularity, positive reviews, or word-of-mouth recommendations. These factors, while they may provide initial guidance, are never enough to determine the real quality of an infrastructure.

A website is the result of the interaction of various technological layers, and its performance depends on a complex combination of elements that must be carefully analyzed. Hosting that offers an attractive price but uses outdated configurations, outdated protocols, or overloaded shared resources can severely compromise the speed, reliability, and overall stability of your online project.

Among the most important parameters are: server configuration, which is the heart of the infrastructure. It's not just about hardware power or RAM, but also the quality of the software and how it's optimized. Two servers with the same technical specifications can deliver completely different performance if configured with different approaches. This is where choices like the type of web server used, database optimization, concurrent connection management, and resource balancing come into play.

The importance of analyzing every technical aspect

HostingAnalyzer.it It was designed to go beyond simple speed measurement. The tool analyzes the entire chain of factors that influence performance, generating a detailed report that helps you understand what's working well and what's a bottleneck.

Among the first analyses it carries out, we find the control of the DNS resolution timeWhen a user enters an address into a browser, the domain must be translated into an IP address. If this process is slow, even the most powerful server won't be able to guarantee good performance. Optimal resolution times are measured in a few milliseconds, but not all providers are able to guarantee such low values.

The tool also analyses the type of web server in use. Technologies such as LiteSpeed o Nginx offer much higher performance than older configurations based on Apache, especially in high-traffic scenarios. This is crucial because the web server is the point of contact between the user's browser and the application that generates the pages.

Modern protocols and their impact on performance

Another determining factor for the overall performance of a site is the support for HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 protocols, which represent an important evolution compared to the old HTTP / 1.1The difference is not only in the number of simultaneous connections, but also the way data is transferred and compressed, with a direct impact on both latency and speed perceived by users.

With HTTP / 1.1Each browser request for images, scripts, CSS files, or other page elements is handled sequentially. In other words, to download ten resources, the browser opens multiple connections but still serves them one at a time, causing bottlenecks, especially for content-rich sites. This severely limits performance, with loading times that can easily exceed 2 or 3 seconds even on fast connections.

HTTP / 2, instead, introduces a completely different management based on the multiplexing: multiple requests can travel simultaneously on the same connection, drastically reducing waiting times. Furthermore, this protocol uses advanced header compression, thanks to the algorithm HPACK, which allows for a reduction in the overall weight of the transmitted data. In real-world scenarios, switching from HTTP/1.1 to HTTP/2 can lead to a speed improvement of between 20% and 40%, especially on complex sites that include many static and dynamic resources.

The next step is HTTP / 3, a protocol based on HERE C, developed by Google and now standardized by the IETF. The main difference is the abandonment of TCP in favor of UDP, which enables more stable connections and significantly lower latency, especially on mobile and unstable networks. HTTP/3 integrates even more efficient compression, leveraging advanced techniques to reduce packet size and speed up loading. In comparative tests, HTTP/3 has been shown to further reduce response times from 15% to 25% compared to HTTP/2, with particularly evident benefits for users browsing from smartphones or from areas with less than optimal network coverage.

HostingAnalyzer.it automatically checks for support for these protocols and reports when a site still uses them HTTP / 1.1 or doesn't take full advantage of the potential of HTTP/2 and HTTP/3. This allows you to identify outdated configurations that can slow down page loading and compromise the user experience.

Content compression and data transfer optimization

La size of resources sent from the server to the browser has a direct and significant impact on a site's loading times. Even a very high-performance server can be slow if data is transmitted without compression or using outdated algorithms. This is why HostingAnalyzer.it Check precisely which compression techniques are active and whether the provider uses the most modern and high-performance ones.

Historically, one of the most popular algorithms has been deflate, an outdated technology that, while offering some bandwidth savings, is unable to offer compression levels competitive with the latest standards. Its adoption is currently limited and, in high-performance contexts, is inadequate.

It was later introduced gzip, which for years has represented the point of reference on the web. Still widely supported today and compatible with all modern browsers, gzip allows you to reduce the overall size of pages even by 60-70% compared to uncompressed data. However, as the average site size grew and the number of resources loaded increased, the need for more efficient solutions became evident.

Here comes into play Brotli, an algorithm developed by Google and now adopted by major browsers and web servers. Brotli uses more advanced compression techniques, achieving significant savings compared to gzip: on average, a page compressed with Brotli is 15-20% lighter compared to the same page compressed with gzip. This means that, all other things being equal, the browser has to download less data and the overall loading time is significantly reduced. For static content such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files, the benefits become even more evident, tangibly improving the user perception of speed.

Even more recent is the adoption of Zstandard (Zstd), an algorithm developed by Facebook and optimized to obtain a ideal ratio between compression and speedCompared to Brotli, Zstd offers particularly high performance in dynamic scenarios and on sites that generate content on the fly, such as interactive web applications or e-commerce platforms. In comparative tests, Zstd has proven to be up to 30% faster in the compression and decompression phase compared to Brotli, while still providing very similar levels of data reduction. This makes it ideal for high-traffic sites, where every millisecond of latency can make a difference.

A modern and truly high-performance hosting should support at least Brotli and, if possible, also integrate ZstdThe adoption of these algorithms allows for a significant reduction in the amount of data transferred, improving the user experience without sacrificing the quality of images, content, or multimedia files.

HostingAnalyzer.it It clearly highlights which compression algorithms are available on the server and whether they're actually being used. This allows you to immediately understand whether the infrastructure uses up-to-date technologies or whether it still relies on outdated solutions, penalizing loading times.

TTFB: Server Response Time

Among all the indicators that allow you to objectively evaluate the quality of a hosting, the Time To First Byte (TTFB) is one of the most important. This metric measures the time between the browser sending a request for a page and the server receiving the first byte of responseIn other words, it represents the time it takes the server to start “talking” to the client, before the actual content transfer even begins.

Un Low TTFB It indicates a well-configured, optimized, and responsive infrastructure. Conversely, high values ​​can indicate problems ranging from database slowness to a lack of sufficient hardware resources, including network bottlenecks or inefficient web server configurations. It's a crucial metric because it allows you to distinguish between server-side and client-side issues, providing a clear starting point for optimizations.

HostingAnalyzer.it perform this measurement both for GET requests that for POST requests, offering a more complete picture than many traditional tools that limit themselves to testing the first type. This distinction is important:

• GET requests They are used to retrieve static content, such as HTML pages, images, or CSS files. A low TTFB in this case demonstrates that the server can quickly deliver ready-made resources.

• POST requests, on the other hand, are used when the server needs to process data before responding, such as when loading an e-commerce cart, submitting a form, or in dynamic pages that interact with the database. Response times tend to be higher here, but excessive values ​​can indicate inefficient queries, a lack of caching, or excessively heavy server-side processes.

For a practical reference, we can distinguish some indicative TTFB evaluation ranges:

• Excellent: less than 200 ms → indicates an extremely responsive server.

• Good: between 200 ms and 500 ms → solid performance, generally adequate for most sites.

• Acceptable: between 500 ms and 1 second → the server is responding, but with obvious room for improvement.

• Critic: greater than according 1 → highlights possible serious configuration, overload, or slowness issues on the database side.

A high TTFB can have several causes. In some cases the responsibility is of the hardware infrastructure, for example if the server shares resources with too many other sites or uses slow disks. In other cases, the problem is with : unoptimized SQL queries, overly heavy plugins, lack of caching or compression systems, up to bottlenecks in application-side processes.

HostingAnalyzer.it It doesn't just return a numeric value, but helps interpret it correctly, highlighting whether the issue concerns the management of static content, dynamic pages, or the processing of complex data. This distinction is essential to understanding where to interveneSometimes it's enough to optimize the database, other times you need to upgrade the server or enable more modern protocols to improve overall speed.

In a competitive context where performance directly impacts the user experience SEO, monitoring TTFB is no longer an option, but a necessity. Even a difference in 200 milliseconds It can make the difference between a site that feels “fast” and one that feels slow, especially on mobile devices and less-than-optimal connections.

Desktop and mobile analytics: two different scenarios

One of the strengths of HostingAnalyzer.it It is the possibility of carrying out a separate analysis between the performances of a site in an environment desktop with e mobile devices, highlighting any significant differences that may escape a superficial assessment. This distinction is crucial because, even if it's the same site and the same server, system behavior can vary significantly depending on the type of device and resource management.

A particularly frequent problem concerns the misconfigured caches, which can significantly impact loading times. Many sites implement caching rules designed exclusively for desktop traffic, without considering that the mobile version, in many cases, uses different resourcesWhen the cache is not configured correctly for both contexts, the result is that while the desktop version can quickly serve pre-generated content, the mobile version forces the server to rebuild the pages for each request, resulting in significantly longer response times.

This difference can be reflected in profoundly different TTFB values. For example, you can have a Time To First Byte of just 150 milliseconds on desktop, indicative of a responsive server and a well-functioning cache, and at the same time find values ​​higher than 1.500 or 2.000 milliseconds On mobile, this is a clear sign that something isn't being handled correctly for that version of the site. In extreme cases, we've seen sites that, despite being incredibly fast on desktop computers, are practically unusable on smartphones due to an incomplete or missing caching strategy.

These discrepancies can be caused by multiple factors: dynamically generating different content for mobile devices, themes or plugins that bypass the cache under certain conditions, or the use of cookies and tracking parameters that prevent the reuse of stored data. This is a problem that often goes unnoticed because, if you limit yourself to testing your site on a desktop, you get a distorted picture of actual performance.

For this reason, HostingAnalyzer.it It doesn't just provide a single performance metric, but compares the results of desktop and mobile analyses to highlight any abnormal differences. Knowing that a server responds quickly on a desktop computer but not on a smartphone is valuable information for identifying hidden issues and correcting unoptimized configurations.

In an era in which over 70% of web traffic comes from mobile devicesignoring this type of analysis risks compromising the experience of most users. A well-configured cache for both contexts is no longer an option: it is an essential requirement to ensure stable and consistent performance.

CDN, security and infrastructure

In addition to providing in-depth performance analysis, HostingAnalyzer.it also check for the presence of a Content Delivery Network (CDN) and automatically detects its use when active. The goal is to understand whether the site uses a content delivery network to improve loading speed by reducing the distance between the user and the server serving the data.

Un CDN It works by distributing cached copies of the site's content across geographically distributed nodes around the world. This way, when a visitor accesses it from a country far from the main server, the resources are loaded from the closest node, reducing the network latency and significantly improving the user experience. This approach is particularly advantageous for international e-commerce, multimedia platforms, editorial portals and projects that need to serve users spread across different regions.

However, Using a CDN is not always mandatory and, in some cases, it can even be detrimentalOn sites that primarily serve users located in a specific geographic area and where the server is already close to the target audience, introducing a CDN can add complexity and sometimes increase latency, especially if not configured correctly. It's therefore important to evaluate CDN adoption on a case-by-case basis, considering the type of content, the target audience, and the underlying infrastructure.

HostingAnalyzer.it he's able to automatically detect major commercial CDNs and highlight them in the final report. Specifically, the tool identifies:

• Cloudflare → One of the most popular CDNs in the world, known for its integrated caching, dynamic compression, DDoS protection, and automatic image optimization features.

• Akamai → one of the most historic and high-performance solutions, used by large companies and global platforms, optimized for large-scale distribution.

• Amazon CloudFront → Amazon Web Services' CDN service, highly flexible, scalable, and can be integrated into complex infrastructures with other AWS solutions.

• fast → particularly appreciated for the low latency and the high customization capacity of caching rules, used by large portals and streaming platforms.

• Sucuri → mainly oriented towards of your digital ecosystem. , in addition to content acceleration; offers protection from attacks, filtering of malicious traffic, and DDoS mitigation.

• KeyCDN → a lightweight, optimized solution for rapid delivery of static content, popular among developers and medium-sized projects.

• MaxCDN / StackPath → a flexible platform that combines caching, traffic balancing, and advanced security, with a good tradeoff between cost and performance.

• Incapsula (Imperva) → a CDN oriented mainly to application security protection, ideal for sites at high risk of attacks and suspicious traffic.

Thanks to this analysis, HostingAnalyzer.it It allows you to immediately understand whether a site benefits from the acceleration provided by a CDN, whether it uses it correctly, or whether the adopted configuration could actually worsen its performance.

Additionally, the tool provides advanced infrastructure details of the server, such as:

• Reverse-DNS → useful for identifying the provider and the type of configuration adopted.

• Server geolocation → essential for understanding whether the physical location of the datacenter is consistent with the site's target.

• SSL certificate and supported protocols → check for up-to-date encryption compatible with the latest TLS versions, such as TLS 1.3, important for both safety and performance.

In this way, HostingAnalyzer.it provides not only a performance evaluation, but also a clear picture of the content distribution strategy, infrastructure security, and the effectiveness of network-side optimizations.

Conclusions

Evaluating the quality of hosting it's never a question of marketingThe speed and reliability of a website depend on a combination of technical factors that must be carefully analyzed. Reading reviews or comparing prices isn't enough: you need an objective analysis based on concrete data.

HostingAnalyzer.it was created to offer exactly this. With a single test, you can get a detailed report that considers every important parameter, from DNS resolution to support for modern protocols, from content compression to the differences between desktop and mobile, and even checking for the presence of CDNs and SSL certificates.

For anyone managing a website, whether it's a small blog or a large e-commerce site, it's an indispensable tool for understanding whether the current infrastructure is adequate or whether it's time for intervention.