News in Brief

Lauren Daigle Sings ‘Thank God I Do’ for Millions on ‘America’s Got Talent’
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 20:05:50 +0000

After being named Billboard's Top Christian Music Artist of the Year in 2023, Lauren Daigle jumped into this year with continued success. She recently joined Loren Allred to perform on "America's Got Talent."

Tony Morgan, Founder of The Unstuck Group, Dies After Suffering Heart Attack
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 19:31:54 +0000

Tony Morgan, founder and lead strategist of The Unstuck Group, unexpectedly passed away Wednesday morning (Sept. 4) after suffering a heart attack.

‘Fast and Furious’ Actor Tyrese Gibson: ‘I Would Not Be Here’ Except for Jesus
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 19:26:54 +0000

While doing publicity for his new movie and album, Tyrese Gibson talked about dealing with grief and said Jesus is “the only name that matters.”

Pete Scazzero: Church Staff Meetings Are Just as Important as Your Sunday Sermons
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 18:34:45 +0000

Pete Scazzero used to see church staff meetings as less important Sunday sermons, but he has since come to see these meetings as just as “important as a sermon or a teaching of Scripture or as a prayer meeting.” 

‘A Miracle’—Pastor Survives Heart Attack After Off-Duty Firefighter Performs CPR
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 17:19:52 +0000

Members of a South Carolina church are hailing an off-duty firefighter as a hero after he performed CPR on their pastor. On Sunday (Sept. 1), Socastee Family Worship Center in Myrtle Beach honored Chad Hughes for his part in saving the life of Pastor Chuck McElroy.

A Gospel of Compromise or a Gospel of Repentance?
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 16:18:42 +0000

Compromised churches, of which there are many, usually don’t even realize they’re on the slippery slope of serious error when it comes to LGBTQ+ issues.

Pastor Greg Locke’s Home Hit With Automatic Gunfire—‘God Protected Us in Unimaginable and Supernatural Ways’
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 16:16:50 +0000

Greg Locke, pastor of Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, was the victim of a drive-by shooting Tuesday night (Sept. 3). While his home was riddled with bullets, no one was injured. 

Kay Warren and Glen Bloomstrom: The Vital Role Church Leaders Play in Helping To Prevent Suicide
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 15:25:16 +0000

Kay Warren and Glen Bloomstrom join “The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast” to discuss the crucial part church leaders play in helping people battle suicide and how those in ministry can take action to be equipped for this fight.

The Black Church Has Moved From Essential to Voluntary, Says Author Jason Shelton
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 14:00:51 +0000

‘Is the Black church dead? I think it really varies depending on which traditions we’re talking about,’ said Shelton, a sociologist at the University of Texas at Arlington.

National Baptists Hold Annual Meeting as Leadership Questions Continue
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 13:56:08 +0000

As the annual session of the National Baptist Convention, USA, the historically Black denomination, opened on Tuesday, the biggest question that loomed is how the meeting will end: Will it have a new president or not?

Start the School Year With Purpose
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 11:07:48 +0000

As summer winds down and the days begin to shorten, there’s a shift in the air—the anticipation that marks the return to school.

3 Secret Sins You Don’t Even Know You Are Committing
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 06:08:45 +0000

But what about the sins that aren’t always talked about in church or throughout our day-to-day Bible plans? These secret sins are just as important to avoid and be in prayer over!

How to Master the Language of Leadership
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 06:03:50 +0000

If the response to your leadership message is a blank stare, it could be that you have not yet mastered the language of leadership.

Guests Return to Worship Services Because of These 9 Surprises
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 06:01:56 +0000

Most of the respondents said they were “delighted” or “surprised,” and that the one event made guests return to the church.

Teaching Boundaries for Youth: 16 Resources for Guiding Teens
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 05:00:34 +0000

Why is teaching boundaries for youth so essential? Learn the importance of limits with these resources for youth ministers and parents.

Sunday School Kickoff Ideas: 15 Fantastic KidMin Activities
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 05:00:03 +0000

Sunday school kickoff ideas add excitement to your children's ministry launch. Begin a winning season of learning with 15 tips from kidmin leaders!

Preparing for Lausanne’s L4: Prayer, Purpose, and Proclamation
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 02:55:29 +0000

As global evangelicals prepare for the Lausanne Movement’s fourth global congress (L4) in Seoul, Korea, we must reflect on the theological foundations that have guided the movement since its inception.

‘The Chosen’ Cast Members Discuss the ‘Most Painful Scene to Date’
Tue, 03 Sep 2024 19:26:15 +0000

One emotional scene of "The Chosen" took a full six days to shoot—and even longer to edit. Creator and director Dallas Jenkins sat down with Yasmine Al-Bustami (Ramah) and Joey Vahedi (Thomas) to discuss the scene executives describe as "such a complex and tragic moment."

After 2-Touchdown Debut, Iowa Hawkeyes Standout Freshman Credits Jesus for Giving Him Confidence
Tue, 03 Sep 2024 19:13:55 +0000

After an impressive college debut Saturday (Aug. 31), Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver Reece Vander Zee was equally impressive at a post-game press conference. “I credit my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving me this opportunity,” the 18-year-old Iowa native began.

Pastor Sentenced to 18 Months After Pleading Guilty to $3.5 Million Fraud Scheme
Tue, 03 Sep 2024 17:18:38 +0000

Rudolph Brooks, pastor of Kingdom Tabernacle of Restoration Ministries in Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering. 

Some Nonprofit Newspapers Endorse Candidates. So Why Can’t Churches, New Lawsuit Asks.
Tue, 03 Sep 2024 14:26:34 +0000

The federal lawsuit, filed by the National Religious Broadcasters, is the latest challenge to the so-called Johnson Amendment, which bars charitable nonprofits from taking sides in campaigns.

Pope Francis’ Trip to Southeast Asia Will Test the Pope’s Health and Message
Tue, 03 Sep 2024 14:23:43 +0000

At the age of 87, Pope Francis will embark on an 11-day trip to Southeast Asia that will test both his physical health and the core messages of his pontificate, focusing on the poor, the environment and a Catholic Church at the margins.

Political Discussions in Your Small Group? Here Are 5 Ways Forward
Tue, 03 Sep 2024 06:17:10 +0000

You can start now to prepare the small group leaders and members you serve to navigate political discussions with grace.

Before You Modernize Your Church Building
Tue, 03 Sep 2024 06:03:28 +0000

There are plenty of ways to modernize your church without having to ruin the history of the building by renovating it or tearing it down to build something new.

The Priceless Friendship of Jesus
Mon, 02 Sep 2024 11:07:48 +0000

Over the last two and a half years of grief since my wife died, I have been sensing deeply the friendship of Jesus.

Feedback Attacks the Biggest Prohibitor to Development
Mon, 02 Sep 2024 11:07:15 +0000

Not providing feedback hurts the team and the organization, but it also hurts the person. According to Proverbs, it is kind to provide corrective feedback to those you love.

7 Strategies in a New Leadership Position
Mon, 02 Sep 2024 06:05:53 +0000

I realized I’m only one person and although everyone wanted some of my time and there were more ideas than we could ever accomplish, I knew I would burnout if I didn’t pace myself. This meant I said no to some things – really many things

6 Ways To Love People Like Jesus Did
Mon, 02 Sep 2024 06:03:00 +0000

Over the years, I’ve explored the life of Jesus, and here’s what I’ve learned about his approach to loving humanity. Now I want to love people like Jesus did.

Belonging Before Believing
Sun, 01 Sep 2024 21:07:48 +0000

According to a recent survey, a sense of community and belonging edge out shared spiritual beliefs as the velcro that keeps them attached and, as a result, attending church

When (and How) To Confront a Staff Member’s Lack of Detail Orientation
Sat, 31 Aug 2024 11:07:23 +0000

I received a great question from a leader in our community: How much should you "correct" when small details are missed (misspellings, misinformation, lack of attention to detail)?

Dennis Quaid Says Ronald Reagan ‘Wouldn’t Have Been President Without His Faith in God’
Fri, 30 Aug 2024 21:41:52 +0000

"Reagan," starring Dennis Quaid, is a historical biopic about the life of President Ronald Reagan and explores how Reagan's faith guided him throughout his 93 years on earth.

‘We Were Suffering’—Amanda Jenkins on Her Experience Writing the Latest Bible Study for ‘The Chosen’
Fri, 30 Aug 2024 21:05:10 +0000

Amanda Jenkins, Dallas Jenkins, and Dr. Douglas S. Huffman authored “God’s Goodness for The Chosen: An Interactive Bible Study Season 4,” an eight-lesson Bible study for that follows each episode of Season 4 of "The Chosen."

Donald Trump Promises IVF Paid for by Government or Insurance; Pro-Life Christians Spar Over Use of IVF 
Fri, 30 Aug 2024 19:21:30 +0000

Former President Donald Trump told NBC News Thursday (Aug. 29) that if he is elected in November, his administration will lobby for in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to be paid for by the government or insurance companies.

Balancing Proclamation and Action in the Lausanne Movement: The Ongoing Debate in Mission
Fri, 30 Aug 2024 18:23:09 +0000

When evangelicals from around the world gather for the fourth global Lausanne Congress (L4) in Seoul, Korea, we will once again grapple with an ever-present tension of evangelical mission.

Death of Teen Football Player Brings Revival to Community
Fri, 30 Aug 2024 17:47:55 +0000

As family and friends mourn the death of Caden Tellier, they’re also honoring him by worshiping Jesus. The high school quarterback, who died from a brain injury sustained during an Aug. 23 game, had recently told his youth leader he wanted to see “revival” at his school and community.

Police Officer Charged With Death of Pastor Fired From Department
Fri, 30 Aug 2024 15:49:13 +0000

The police officer charged with the death of a beloved pastor has been fired by the Stamford Police Department in Connecticut. Zachary Lockwood, 24, struck and killed Rev. Tommie Jackson while responding to a call in July 2023. 

Robert Morris’ Son Asks People To Join His Family’s ‘Church Planting Journey’
Fri, 30 Aug 2024 14:35:20 +0000

James and Bridgette Morris have launched a new website asking people to join their "church planting journey." James is the son of disgraced Pastor Robert Morris.

‘Wall of Silence,’ a Podcast About Abuse in ACNA, Was Silenced. Now, It’s Back.
Fri, 30 Aug 2024 13:00:45 +0000

In April, the Rev. Chris Marchand, an Anglican priest in Peoria, Illinois, launched "Wall of Silence," a podcast about church abuse and cover-up in the Anglican Church in North America.

Beware the Backward Drift
Fri, 30 Aug 2024 11:07:31 +0000

In John Bunyan’s classic, "The Pilgrim's Progress," there is a sobering picture of the experience of apostasy in the lives of those who once professed faith in Christ but who ultimately abandoned that profession.

Karl Vaters: Your Small Church Has What People Need the Most Right Now
Fri, 30 Aug 2024 06:52:56 +0000

“What people need," says Karl Vaters, "is familiarity and relationships. They need to be in places that they know with people that they know and love.”

Strong Ministry Is About Playing Offense
Fri, 30 Aug 2024 06:37:17 +0000

As the church, we often forsake playing offense when it comes to youth ministry. Pastors, church leaders, youth leaders: it’s time for playing offense. Now is the time to mobilize your congregation and your youth group to advance the Gospel.

How to Balance Structure & Spontaneity in Worship
Fri, 30 Aug 2024 06:31:12 +0000

Some spontaneity in your worship sets will encourage the community to engage in unique and fresh ways in the midst of a service.

Little Missionaries: Teaching Kids to Spread God’s Love
Fri, 30 Aug 2024 05:00:59 +0000

Developing little missionaries is definitely doable. In fact, that happens in children’s ministry classrooms every week.

Faithful Futures: Nurturing the Next Generation of Believers
Fri, 30 Aug 2024 05:00:23 +0000

Youth ministers are in the field of building faithful futures. Learn how to nurture and equip young believers.

Healing From Guilt and Shame With NICC: Bridging Psychology & Faith
Thu, 29 Aug 2024 22:00:12 +0000

Guilt and shame, though frequently conflated, embody distinct experiences that influence our psychological health and spiritual journey in unique ways.

Man Dies an Hour After Being Baptized While Attempting To Rescue Friend From Drowning
Thu, 29 Aug 2024 19:31:22 +0000

Last Saturday (Aug. 24), 21-year-old Lincer Lopez drowned in Lake Waxahachie, which is in Waxahachie, Texas, during a heroic rescue of his drowning friend.

Treasurer Allegedly Stole $224,000 From PA Church’s Good Samaritan Fund
Thu, 29 Aug 2024 18:44:00 +0000

After leaders at St. John’s Lutheran in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, realized that some accounting discrepancies were growing “larger and larger,” they confronted William Reed, a lifelong member who had access to church funds.

Free Printable: David and Goliath Lesson Skit
Thu, 29 Aug 2024 17:28:54 +0000

"This skit dramatizes the Bible story where David battles Goliath. The scripture text for this incident is 1 Samuel 17."

Free Printable Package: Daniel in the Lions' Den
Thu, 29 Aug 2024 17:28:54 +0000

"This free cartoon illustration of “Daniel in the Lion’s Den” could be used as a teaching illustration for your Bible Lesson."

Free Game: Fruit of the Spirit Memory Match
Thu, 29 Aug 2024 17:28:53 +0000

"The fruit the Holy Spirit produces is love, joy and peace. It is being patient, kind and good. It is being faithful and gentle and having control of oneself (Galatians 5:22-23)."

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PHP-FPM: The Future of PHP Handling

 PHP-FastCGI Process Manager (or PHP-FPM) is widely used on sites that use WordPress, a hugely popular content management system. PHP-FPM is a processor for PHP, one of the most common scripting languages, that enables WordPress sites to handle a greater volume of web traffic without relying on as many server resources as when using alternative PHP processors.

How does PHP-FPM work? What security does it offer? And how easy is it to set up?

We’ll cover all this and more in this guide to PHP-FPM.

The Structure of PHP-FPM

PHP is a high-level programming language. As a result, PHP scripts need to be compiled before a web server (specifically its underlying processor hardware) can comprehend it.

Generally, web servers use integrated modules to compile PHP scripts, such as Common Gateway Interface (CGI) or single user PHP (suPHP). Web servers leveraging these handlers pair with processing PHP scripts, then compile and execute them as part of their standard processes when responding to traffic. To execute, they use the server process’s ownership and permission configurations. This creates a stable method of using PHP scripts.

But PHP-FPM is designed to fill the gaps in other PHP handlers. The work is handled by a separate service that was created exclusively to process PHP scripts. It’s arranged as a master process handling singular worker processes in pools. Whenever the server gets a PHP script request, it utilizes a proxy, FastCGI connection to pass that request on to the PHP-FPM service.

That service is able to pick up these requests via Unix sockets or on the network ports of the host server. While requests are passed through proxy connections, the PHP-FPM service needs to be running on the same server as the web server. Crucially, the proxy connection used by PHP-FPM is different to the traditional one: because PHP-FPM gets a proxied connection, a PHP-FPM worker that’s available takes the request from the web server.

Then, the script is compiled and executed by PHP-FPM, with the output returned to the web server. The system releases the PHP-FPM worker when it’s done with the request, then awaits further requests.

Worker processes are dynamically made and terminated by the PHP-FPM master process as traffic to scripts rises and falls. This is done within configurable limits. Additional worker processes that are created to manage traffic increases are terminated only once a specific length of time has passed, which enables worker processes to stay available for as long as traffic levels remain at a higher level.

Furthermore, worker processes also terminate and are recreated after completing a set amount of requests, which is important for stopping memory leaks while PHP scripts are processed. Every PHP user may have a separate worker process pool to handle PHP requests. While this can push some of the overhead related to PHP-FPM usage higher, the extra resource expense should be worthwhile considering the benefits.

The architecture of PHP-FPM is similar in some ways with NGINX and Apache web servers, as well as other event-driven examples, with the Event Multi-Processing Module. By using this approach to PHP script processing, you can expect better processing, security, configurability, and stability.

The Performance of PHP-FPM

PHP-FPM offers two main performance advantages: it lets websites handle PHP requests more efficiently and allows for opcode caching.

The event-driven architecture of PHP-FPM enables PHP scripts to utilize whatever available resources on a server they need to, but without the extra overhead caused by running them in web server processes. With PHP-FPM, worker processes may be used and reused over and over, with no need to make and terminate them for each individual PHP request.

While the price of starting and terminating new processes for every request is generally on the small side, the overall cost can rise quickly when the server starts to manage more traffic than usual. PHP-FPM is able to serve higher volumes of traffic than traditional handlers, while allowing for more efficient use of resources.

The biggest benefit in performance comes with PHP-FPM allowing opcode caching. This causes the opcode from compiled scripts to be cached in RAM. If a PHP script request is received, PHP-FPM searches for copies of the script that have already been cached. If it locates one, PHP-FPM executes it with the cached opcode straight away, then carries on processing that request.

As PHP-FPM can execute opcode from memory so quickly, it eliminates the need to read the source code for a script from disk and compile that source code to opcode. Reading data directly from the server’s memory is significantly more efficient than reading it from the server’s filesystem instead.

Additionally, PHP-FPM is more time- and resource-effective because it doesn’t need to compile PHP source code to opcode. As with making and terminating processes, the expense and time for reaching and compiling source code files is generally small individually, but it increases with further occurrences. For instance, systems that repeat these steps potentially thousands of times per second will drive the overall cost up significantly and have a major effect on a web server’s resource usage. By using opcode caching, you can process PHP scripts more efficiently, particularly when handling a high number of PHP script requests.

The Security Capabilities of PHP-FPM

PHP-FPM offers a higher standard of security than other PHP processors, as it allows opcode caching with isolated PHP processing for every user. Opcode caching is ineffective when leveraging CGI and suPHP handlers because of how they handle memory usage. While opcode caching is supported by the DSO handler, the DSO module needs PHP scripts to be run as an Apache user. That can bring security dangers with it.

Furthermore, you may need to allow for extra configuration when using DSO to make sure that scripts have the right permissions to let an Apache user read them correctly. This issue can be fixed, but that typically requires extra server modules to be installed or outdated tech to be used. But PHP-FPM offers opcode caching and isolated script processing as standard.

You need to be careful, though, to set up PHP-FPM for security properly while using opcode caching. For instance, the primary PHP configuration file on the server must have these values set to true:

opcache.validate_root = true

opcache.validate_permission = true

These settings bring an extra layer of protection to stop users from accessing others’ opcode caches. The core PHP-FPM configuration files carry the settings required to use PHP-FPM safely and securely. These concerns largely affect hosting environments with a multi-tenant setup.

The Stability of PHP-FPM

PHP-FPM offers impressive stability, as its architecture stops a server from being overwhelmed by PHP processing. Extra processes need to be made when web servers manage PHP script requests in their own processes. And as PHP script traffic rises, servers can become so swamped with requests that they stop responding.

PHP-FPM is only able to serve the amount of traffic that its worker processes can manage. When it’s set up correctly, PHP-FPM establishes a limit on the number of PHP script requests that it can process simultaneously.

When its worker processes are used to their maximum capabilities, extra PHP script requests will lead to gateway errors or timeouts. Rather than leveraging all of the server resources awaiting a response, the server will deliver a 503 or 504 HTTP status code. Those codes can be frustrating for visitors, but they’re better than letting a hosting server stop responding altogether. Furthermore, website owners can set up bespoke 503 status pages to provide a stronger user experience, instead of relying on generic error pages.

While PHP-FPM offers stable performance because of its architecture, it can turn into a bottleneck for script processing if configured in the wrong way. Setting it up right is essential to ensure it offers an adequate number of workers for processing the traffic volume that the server can safely process.

If there aren’t enough workers, an extreme number of 503 or 504 responses may be delivered, even when the server is seeing normal traffic levels. This issue is more frequent when single-tenant servers are using PHP-FPM with one pool of worker processes across all sites (e.g. a VPS hosting server). But hosting environments with a multi-tenant approach and separate worker process pools should have a PHP-FPM that’s configured correctly to provide the right amount of workers for all tenants’ traffic requirements.

The Configurability of PHP-FPM

PHP-FPM offers a bigger range of configuration options than alternative PHP processors. Lots of these options may be defined in a different way for each site on a server. Some of those configuration options are worker limits, status reports, and worker creation behavior.

You can tweak PHP-FPM to achieve the highest standard of performance for PHP website hosting, improving on other PHP handlers that don’t include these configuration options. However, configuring PHP-FPM in the right way can be fairly complicated and time-consuming, so you may need an experienced systems administrator to help you get started.

PHP-FPM and WordPress

An Nginx server with PHP-FPM support is crucial if you operate an online newspaper, content platform, or WordPress site receiving a huge number of visits daily. This set up enables you to facilitate the execution of your WordPress CMS’s PHP code to a higher standard.

PHP-FPM and Magento

Magento, a popular ecommerce platform, integrates with Nginx and PHP-FPM well. If you want to achieve your online store’s top performance, you’ll need to use this web server along with PHP-FPM support. Balancer and caches are essential, too.

PHP-FPM is a very challenging topic for newcomers, but we hope this guide has shed light on it. You should feel more comfortable with PHP-FPM, its features, and everything else covered above now that you’ve read our expert insights!

PHP-FPM and Plesk

To insure high performance and low memory consumption for highly loaded web apps PHP-FPM handler is available under Plesk. You need to make sure that PHP-FPM is installed and the option “Process PHP by nginx” is on under Websites & Domains > YourDomain > Web Server Settings.

Conclusion

PHP-FPM is an efficient method on how to minimize the memory consumption and rise the performance for the websites with heavy traffic. It is significantly faster than traditional CGI-based methods in multi-user PHP environments. If your primary goal for hosting your web application is to achieve optimal performance and security, then PHP-FPM is the way forward.