How to Install Varnish Using Apache Benchmark in Linux
Installation of Varnish Using Apache Benchmark in Linux
Varnish is a high performance HTTP accelerator and reverse proxy. The important thing to be noted is that Varnish will save the cache in memory and not in the Disk. This article explains how to install and use Varnish as a front-end to Apache or Nginx in order to cache HTTP responses quickly and without burdening the web server.
Installation of Varnish
At first install the LAMP or LEMP server before proceding with the Varnish.
For step by step installation of LAMP visit,
https://www.linuxhelp.com/install-lamp-fedora-22/
Run the following command to install Varnish from its own repository or install epel-repository and then proceed with the installation.
[root@linuxhelp1 ~]# yum install varnish
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, refresh-packagekit, security
Setting up Install Process
Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
Resolving Dependencies
--> Running transaction check
---> Package varnish.x86_64 0:2.1.5-5.el6 will be installed
--> Processing Dependency: varnish-libs = 2.1.5-5.el6 for package: varnish-2.1.5-5.el6.x86_64
--> Processing Dependency: jemalloc for package: varnish-2.1.5-5.el6.x86_64
--> Processing Dependency: libvcl.so.1()(64bit) for package: varnish-2.1.5-5.el6.x86_64
--> Processing Dependency: libvarnishcompat.so.1()(64bit) for package: varnish-2.1.5-5.el6.x86_64
--> Processing Dependency: libvarnishapi.so.1()(64bit) for package: varnish-2.1.5-5.el6.x86_64
--> Processing Dependency: libvarnish.so.1()(64bit) for package: varnish-2.1.5-5.el6.x86_64
--> Processing Dependency: libjemalloc.so.1()(64bit) for package: varnish-2.1.5-5.el6.x86_64
--> Running transaction check
---> Package jemalloc.x86_64 0:3.6.0-1.el6 will be installed
---> Package varnish-libs.x86_64 0:2.1.5-5.el6 will be installed
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.
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Running rpm_check_debug
Running Transaction Test
Transaction Test Succeeded
Running Transaction
Installing : varnish-libs-2.1.5-5.el6.x86_64 1/3
Installing : jemalloc-3.6.0-1.el6.x86_64 2/3
Installing : varnish-2.1.5-5.el6.x86_64 3/3
Verifying : jemalloc-3.6.0-1.el6.x86_64 1/3
Verifying : varnish-2.1.5-5.el6.x86_64 2/3
Verifying : varnish-libs-2.1.5-5.el6.x86_64 3/3
Installed:
varnish.x86_64 0:2.1.5-5.el6
Dependency Installed:
jemalloc.x86_64 0:3.6.0-1.el6 varnish-libs.x86_64 0:2.1.5-5.el6
Complete!
Start Varnish and httpd manually.
[root@linuxhelp1 ~]# service httpd start Starting httpd: [ OK ] [root@linuxhelp1 ~]# service varnish start Starting varnish HTTP accelerator: [ OK ]
To Configure Varnish
Apache will listen to 80 port by default, change it to 8080 in the apache main config file in /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf
#Listen 12.34.56.78:80 Listen 8080
Next change the port for varnish in the configuration file located in /etc/sysconfig/
VARNISH_LISTEN_PORT=80
Set the backend listening port for varnish in default.vcl file located in /etc/varnish/
backend default {
.host = " 127.0.0.1"
.port = " 8080"
}
Once the configuration is done restart the httpd and varnish services.
[root@linuxhelp1 ~]# service httpd restart Stopping httpd: [ OK ] Starting httpd: [ OK ] [root@linuxhelp1 ~]# service varnish restart Stopping varnish HTTP accelerator: [ OK ] Starting varnish HTTP accelerator: [ OK ]
To Test Varnish
Check whether the requests are cached by varnish using curl command.
[root@linuxhelp1 ~]# curl -I http://192.168.5.182/
HTTP/1.1 403 Forbidden
Server: Apache/2.2.15 (CentOS)
Content-Type: text/html charset=UTF-8
Content-Length: 4961
Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2016 10:46:57 GMT
X-Varnish: 264906919
Age: 0
Via: 1.1 varnish
Connection: keep-alive
When you retry the same command, you can see the X-varnish content increases due to cached.
To view the Varnish logs run the following command
[root@linuxhelp1 ~]# varnishlog
Run the following command to display Varnish cache statistics,
[root@linuxhelp1 ~]# varnishstat
Check the varnish again by benchmarking with the ab tool.
Apache benchmarking tool will be installed by default during apache installation.
Run the following command to benchmark the request and response that hits the apache web server.
[root@linuxhelp1 ~]# ab -n 10000 -c 100 http://192.168.5.182/
Where you can add the line into the configuration file, as "Listen 192.168.1.6:80"