High performance server architecture - High-Performance Request-Handling Programs

http://pl.atyp.us/content/tech/servers.html

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the Four Horsemen of Poor Performance:

1. Data copies
2. Context switches
3. Memory allocation
4. Lock contention

There will also be a catch-all section at the end, but these are the biggest performance-killers. If you can handle most requests without copying data, without a context switch, without going through the memory allocator and without contending for locks, you'll have a server that performs well even if it gets some of the minor parts wrong.

Low-level optimization is generally the last resort of someone who screwed up the design.