<ifModule mpm_prefork_module>
MaxSpareServers 16
</ifModule>
Timeout 60
The above example defines the MaxSpareServers directive only when loaded by mpm_prefork_module. The Timeout directive is applied every time due to it being outside of the IfModule closing statement.
IfModule statements are used to maintain compatibility within Apache configuration between module changes. Maintaining compatibility is done by grouping directives into IfModule statements, so they are only used when the required module is loaded. Ensuring a syntactically correct configuration file even when swapping modules.
Avoid increasing the global Timeout when addressing issues with a single script, or user, that requires a long Timeout. Problems can usually be resolved by a .htaccess file or include file to increase the Timeout directive for that specific script.
A simple on|off toggle enables the KeepAlive protocols with supported browsers. The KeepAlive feature can provide as much as a 50% reductions in latency, significantly boosting the performance of Apache. KeepAlive accomplishes this by reusing the same initial connections a browser creates when connecting to Apache for all follow-up requests which occur within a short period.
KeepAlive is a powerful feature and in general, should be enabled in most situations. It works great for reducing some of the CPU and Network overhead with modern element heavy websites. For example, an easy way to visualize KeepAlive is with the “hold the door” phrase. Imagine a queue of people entering a building through a single doorway. Each person is required to open the door, walk through it, then close the door before the next person does the same process. Mostly, that’s how Apache works without KeepAlive. When enabled, the door stays open until all the people in line are through the door before it closes again.
Two additional related directives also govern KeepAlive. MaxKeepAliveRequests and KeepAliveTimeout. Discussed in the next section, each one plays a vital role in fine-tuning of the KeepAlive directive.
Set MaxKeepAliveRequests to double that of the largest count of elements on common pages. (Services like webpagetest.org or gtmetrix.com can count elements on a page).
A large MaxKeepAliveRequests directive with a very low KeepAliveTimeout allows active visitors to reuse connections while also quickly recovering threads from idle visitors.
Configuration: Set MaxKeepAliveRequests to 500+, Set KeepAliveTimeout to 2
Requirements: Works best on MPM Event.
ServerLimit ties in directly with the thrashing point discussed earlier in this article. The thrashing point is the maximum number of children Apache can run before memory usage tips the scale into perpetual swap. Match the ServerLimit to the calculated thrashing point to safeguard the server.
There is an upper limit on this directive as well, and the limit is controlled by the ThreadLimit directive, which defaults to 64 threads. The adjustments to increase ThreadsPerChild past 64 threads also need to be made to ThreadLimit.
Increasing this value allows each child to handle more requests keeping memory consumption down while allowing a larger MaxRequestWorkers directive. A key benefit of running more threads within each child is shared memory cache access. Threads from one child cannot access caches from another child. Boosting the number of threads per child squeezes out more performance due to this sharing of cache data. The major downside for increased threads per child occurs during child recycling. The capacity of the server is diminished by the number of threads configured for each child when that child process is eventually recycled (graceful restart).
Inversely the opposite reaction is achieved by lowering ThreadsPerChild. Fewer threads per child require more children to run an equal amount of MaxRequestWorkers. Since children are full copies of Apache, this increases Apache’s overall memory footprint but reduces the impact when recycling children. Fewer threads mean fewer potential “stuck” threads during the recycle procedure, keeping the higher capacity of requests available overall children. Having fewer threads per child provides increased shared memory isolation. For instance, dropping ThreadsPerChild to 1 gives the same request isolation of MPM Prefork but also inherits its massive performance tax as well, requiring one child per one request.
ThreadsPerChild directive which could quickly spin a server out of control if too many threads are allowed due to an input error. This setting need to be adjusted in some high-end servers when the system needs more than the default of 64 threads per child.
Determining the MaxRequestWorkers is a critical part of server optimization. An optimal setting is based on several changing variables. This means its configuration needs to be reevaluated and tailored periodically over time, changed by watching traffic habits and system resource usage. The Apache status Scoreboard is an effective tool for analysis of Apache performance.
It is typical of Worker based MPM systems to run an isolated third-party PHP handler like Mod_fcgid, PHP-FPM, and mod_lsapi. These modules are responsible
for processing PHP code outside of Apache and frees up Apache to handle all other non-PHP requests such as HTML, TEXT, CSS, Images, etc… These requests are far less taxing on server resources which allows Apache to handle larger volumes of requests, such as those beyond 400 MaxRequestWorkers.
Having a limit to the number of idle open threads is excellent for smaller servers with hardware constraints. However, it mostly unneeded on today’s modernizing hardware.
Manually calculating StartServers is done by dividing MaxRequestWorkers by ThreadsPerChild, rounding down to the nearest whole number. This process forces all children to be created without delay at startup and begins handling requests immediately. This aspect is especially useful in modern Apache servers which require periodic restarts to load in directive changes. 
If the server encounters a memory leak never set the MaxConnectionsPerChild / MaxRequestsPerChild too low, instead start with 10,000 and reduce it incrementally. 
If this directive is too low, Apache under-utilizes the available hardware which translates to wasted money and long delays in page load times during peak hours. Alternatively, if this directive is too high, Apache outpaces the underlying hardware sending the system into thrashing (link to thrashing article) scenario which can lead to server crashes and potential data loss.
Never set this to zero. Setting this to 25% of MaxRequestWorkers ensures plenty resources are ready and waiting for requests.
Set this to double the value of MinSpareServers. 
The StartServers directive should mirror that of MinSpareServers.
It becomes necessary to adjusted ServerLimit when the server is expected to handle more than the default of 256 requests simultaneously.
ServerLimit ties in directly with the thrashing point. The thrashing point is the maximum number of children Apache can run before memory usage tips the scale into perpetual swap. Match the ServerLimit to the calculated thrashing point to safeguard the server.
Rule-of-Thumb: Never set this too low. If the server encounters memory leak issues start with 10,000 and reduce incrementally.The keystone for understanding Apache server performance is by far the Multiprocessing Modules (MPMs). These modules determine the basis for how Apache addresses multiprocessing. Multiprocessing means running multiple operations simultaneously in a system with multiple central processing units (CPU Cores).
There are many MPMs to choose from; however, this article focuses on the most commonly used modules found in Liquid Web Linux based VPS servers. These modules are:
The self-regulating MPM Prefork derives its namesake from how it forks or copies itself into new identical processes preemptively to wait for incoming requests. A non-threaded process-based approach at multiprocessing, MPM Prefork runs Apache in a single master parent server process. This parent is responsible for managing any additional child servers that make up its serverpool. While using MPM Prefork, each child server handles only a single request. This focus provides complete isolation from other requests dealt with on the server. MPM Prefork is typically used for compatibility when non-threaded libraries/software, like mod_php (DSO), are required. From an optimization standpoint, MPM Prefork can be sorely lacking when compared to multi-threaded solutions, requiring vastly more resources to reach similar traffic levels as a threaded MPM. It is resource intensive due to its need to spawn full copies of Apache for every request.
A hybrid pre-forking, multi threaded, multiprocessing web server. In the same fashion as MPM Prefork, MPM Worker uses the same approach with a single master parent process governing all children within its server pool. However, unlike MPM Prefork, these children are multi-threaded processes that can handle dozens of threads (requests) simultaneously. MPM Worker has set the foundation for multi threaded multiprocessing in Apache servers which became stable in Apache 2.2. The threaded configuration allows Apache to service hundreds of requests with ease while retaining only a dozen or so child processes in memory. The MPM Worker make for both a high capacity and low resource solution for web service.
Based off the MPM Worker source code, MPM Event shares configuration directives with MPM Worker. It works nearly identical to MPM Worker except when it comes to handling KeepAlive requests. MPM Event uses a dedicated Listener thread in each child process. This Listening thread is responsible for directing incoming requests to an available worker thread. The Listening thread solves the issue encountered by MPM Worker which locks entire threads into waiting for the KeepAliveTimeout. The Listener approach of MPM Event ensures worker threads are not “stuck” waiting for KeepAliveTimeout to expire. This method keeps the maximum amount of worker threads handling as many requests as possible.
There is an assortment of additional MPMs available. These are typically part of Apache’s integration into Operating Systems other than Unix-based systems. These have specific MPMs which are requirements or utilizing Apache on their respective system types. These types of MPMs are beyond the purview of this article. You can find more information on specific MPM in the MPM Defaults section of the official Apache Documentation.
When considering optimization, it is essential to understand there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all Apache configuration. Correctly choosing an MPM requires analysis of many moving variables like traffic, site code, server type, PHP Handler and available hardware. Every server is unique making the best MPM an entirely subjective choice.
If your application code does not support multi-threading, then your choice will inevitably be MPM Prefork purely on a compatibility basis. MPM Prefork includes software modules like mod_php (DSO). MPM Worker without KeepAlive performs very well if your application is a high-performance load balanced API system. The scalability and flexibility of MPM Event is a solid choice for hosting multiple small to medium sites in a shared hosting configuration.
Most simple servers setups operate well under the self-governing default configuration of MPM Event, making it an ideal starting point for optimization tuning. Once chosen, an MPM can then move onto Configuration Directives to review which settings pertain to server performance and optimization. Or check out our previous article in this series, Apache Performance Tuning: Swap Memory.