How to Use X‑Ray to Diagnose Slow WordPress Performance
For iCoreHosting cPanel & DirectAdmin (CloudLinux) • Works best with LiteSpeed Web Server + LiteSpeed Cache
TL;DR — Open X‑Ray, start a trace, reproduce the slowness for 2–5 minutes, then stop and review: Slow PHP scripts, heavy MySQL queries, and external calls. Fix the top offenders (plugins, themes, queries, remote APIs) and enable LiteSpeed Cache. If X‑Ray isn’t visible, contact Support.
On this page
1) Before you begin
- Ensure your hosting plan is on CloudLinux (all iCoreHosting shared/reseller hosting are) and you’re using PHP 8.1+ when possible.
- Have your WordPress admin login ready so you can reproduce slow actions (e.g., editing, WooCommerce checkout).
- Keep the trace short (2–5 mins) and reproduce the problem once or twice to keep results clean.
- If you can’t locate X‑Ray in your control panel, contact Support.
2) Start an X‑Ray trace (cPanel)
- Log in to cPanel.
- Under Software, click X‑Ray App.
- Click Start Tracing.
- Select the domain (and path, if needed). Choose Trace Type = URL and input the exact page that’s slow (e.g.,
/checkout). - Leave the trace running and reproduce the slowness on your site (frontend and/or wp‑admin).
- Return to X‑Ray and click Stop to generate the report.
3) Start an X‑Ray trace (DirectAdmin)
- Log in to DirectAdmin.
- Open Extra Features → X‑Ray (or search for “X‑Ray” in the top search bar).
- Click Start Tracing, choose your domain/path and URL to monitor.
- Reproduce the slow action for ~2–5 minutes.
- Click Stop and open the generated report.
4) Read the X‑Ray report
A) Wall Time (Total Time)
Overall duration per request. > 1s for common pages is a red flag.
B) PHP Script Timeline
Shows which plugin/theme files consumed time. Sort by Time or Calls to find top offenders.
C) MySQL Queries
Look for slow SELECT with meta tables, missing indexes, or huge COUNT(*) scans.
D) External Calls
API calls to payment/shipping/CRM/CDN. Network wait can dominate wall time.
5) Common findings & quick fixes
Plugins / Themes (heavy PHP)
- Large processing in a plugin → Update it, disable unused modules, or replace with a lighter alternative.
- Page builders loading too much → Enable LiteSpeed Cache (LSCache) and minify/combine CSS/JS.
- WooCommerce slow on Cart/Checkout → Reduce real‑time stock/price/3rd‑party calls; cache fragments when safe.
MySQL (slow queries)
- wp_postmeta / wp_options bloat → Use WP‑Optimize to clean transients/revisions; reduce autoloaded options.
- Repeated LIKE '%keyword%' scans → Replace search with Relevanssi or add specific indexes (developer task).
- COUNT(*) on large tables → Use cached counts or pagination strategies.
External Requests (APIs)
- Payment/shipping/CRM lookups → Cache responses briefly when possible; defer non‑critical calls to background jobs.
- 3rd‑party fonts/maps/social embeds → Load async/defer; consider locally hosting critical assets.
Resource Limits
- Hitting LVE (CPU/IO/memory) ceilings during spikes? Optimize + scale up. For sustained load, consider VPS/Dedicated.
- Large media or backup plugins can saturate I/O → Exclude archives from on‑site backups; offload to remote.
6) After tracing: harden & optimize
- Enable LiteSpeed Cache (LSCache) plugin for WordPress. Turn on page cache, browser cache, and CSS/JS optimization. Use QUIC.cloud CDN if suitable.
- Image optimization: convert to WebP/AVIF, lazy‑load below‑the‑fold images.
- DB cleanup: remove transients, revisions; keep autoloaded options small. Schedule periodic DB maintenance.
- Object Cache (if available): enable Redis/Memcached via your plan or consider upgrading to a VPS for dedicated caching.
- Monitor: Re‑run X‑Ray after each change to validate impact. Keep traces short and focused on one change at a time.
7) FAQ
Why don’t I see X‑Ray in my panel?
Some themes/skins hide it or the feature isn’t enabled on your server yet. Please contact Support.
Is there any risk to running X‑Ray?
It’s safe. X‑Ray observes requests and timings; it doesn’t modify files. Keep traces to 2–5 minutes to reduce noise.
My site is still slow after fixes—what next?
Share your X‑Ray report with us. High‑traffic/e‑commerce sites often benefit from VPS/Dedicated resources and Object Cache.
8) Need help?
We’re happy to review your X‑Ray report and suggest concrete fixes. Open a ticket: https://www.icore.com.my/support
Include: domain, sample slow URL(s), timeframe of slowness, and what actions you took.
Include: domain, sample slow URL(s), timeframe of slowness, and what actions you took.
Last updated: 25 Aug 2025 (GMT+8) • iCoreHosting Knowledge Base
