What is the best practice for busy web application?

[Andy Huang]

I have a web application that is about to see some traffic. Here are a few approaches I've thought of, but I don't know which one is best:

• Multiple VMs each with own files, with a Varnish front-end load balancing them
• Multiple VMs with a shared NFS on separate VM, with a Varnish front-end load balancing them
• Multiple VMs with a shared NFS on host node, with a Varnish front-end load balancing them
• One powerful VM, with Varnish acting as reverse proxy

Can you please advise which is the correct best practice approach?

 

[kotakomputer]

Why not put web and database on separate server? (even with 1 VM on each Server) -- then use NAS for flexibility expanding your system.

 

[Andy Huang]

Why not put web and database on separate server? (even with 1 VM on each Server) -- then use NAS for flexibility expanding your system.

I only have one physical server at this point. The database is in a separate VM from the web application, and can be moved to a separate physical if and when the need arise. I'm more debating as to how to virtualize and share resources properly, so the web application servers doesn't die and fail for now...

 

[kotakomputer]

If only 1 Server then better create only 1 VM, thus your backup will be easier too.
There is no advantage to separate your data using NFS since only 1 server on hand.