Server response time measures how long your server takes to process a request and start sending a response. It's closely related to Time to First Byte (TTFB).
What affects server response time
Server-side factors
- Database query performance
- Server-side code efficiency
- Server hardware/resources
- Application architecture
Network factors
- Distance to server
- Network congestion
- DNS resolution time
- TLS negotiation
Measuring server response time
Tools to measure:
- Browser DevTools (Network tab)
- Lighthouse
- WebPageTest
- VitalSentinel
Improving server response time
- Optimize database queries
- Implement caching layers
- Use a CDN
- Upgrade server hardware
- Optimize server-side code
- Use efficient hosting
Target values
- Good: Under 200ms
- Acceptable: 200-600ms
- Slow: Over 600ms
How VitalSentinel handles this
VitalSentinel is your website's revenue insurance, catching server slowdowns before they tank conversions. Our RUM tracks TTFB from real visitors so you see actual server response time in the field, not just synthetic averages, while Uptime Monitoring records response times from global probes and alerts you to regressions in hours, not weeks.
Related Terms
Caching
The process of storing copies of data in a temporary storage location so that future requests can be served faster.
Content Delivery Network (CDN)
A geographically distributed network of servers that work together to provide fast delivery of internet content by serving it from locations closer to users.
Latency
The time delay between a user action and the system's response, often referring to network delay in web performance.
Time to First Byte (TTFB)
A performance metric that measures the time between the request for a resource and when the first byte of a response begins to arrive.